‘Spiral of Violence’: Pope Calls for Diplomacy After Iran Strikes

Pope Leo XIV made a call for peace and diplomacy Sunday, following the U.S. and Israel strike against Iran that killed supreme leader and targeted military sites.

“Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” the Pope said in a social media post. 

The air strikes killed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and targeted Iranian military sites to stop the country’s ability to develop nuclear weapons. 

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm,” Pope Leo continued. “May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new supreme leader will be chosen in “one or two days,” the Associated Press reported. 

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that a new leadership council “has begun its work” after death of Khamenei. 

This comes in contrast to President Donald Trump’s call on Saturday for the Iranian people to “take over your government.” 

Trump called for Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, to fully dismantle its nuclear program, which Iran’s government had been unwilling to do. Trump indicated on Friday the negotiations were not going well.

The Iranian regime has reportedly killed tens of thousands of protesters.

CBS News reported Sunday morning that Trump said a diplomatic solution is still possible, and that the strike could pressure the Iranian regime.