Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to peaceful engagement with the international community, stressing that the country will defend its rights and interests under international law and will not accept coercion or externally imposed demands.
President Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday, during a ceremony to receive the credentials of Portugal’s newly appointed ambassador to Iran, Marcelo Vaultier Mathias. The Iranian president also highlighted the more than 500-year history of relations between Tehran and Lisbon and expressed hope for stronger bilateral cooperation.
The president said Iran was a peace-loving nation seeking constructive engagement with the world. He also rejected misleading Western media portrayals of Iran, saying they often contradict reality and that the peace-loving Iranian nation has stood firm against violent acts committed by certain powers claiming to defend human rights.
He criticized state terrorism and attacks targeting scientists, schoolchildren and political officials in the region, questioning the credibility of powers that commit such acts while claiming to combat terrorism.
President Pezeshkian said the Portuguese ambassador’s presence in Iran could help provide a more accurate understanding of the country and regional developments. He called for expanded cooperation in scientific, cultural, economic and political fields.
Emphasizing that respect for rights, justice and fairness was essential to preventing conflicts, the president said wars often stemmed from expansionist ambitions and attempts to seize other nations’ territories, resources and interests. He expressed hope that international cooperation would help build a world based on peace, humanity and mutual assistance.
For his part, Mathias described his appointment to a country with such a rich history and culture as an honor, pledging to convey a realistic picture of Iran to Portugal.
He stressed that the two countries shared a diplomatic heritage spanning more than five centuries and said preserving and strengthening those ties was a shared responsibility.
The Portuguese envoy also underlined the importance of diplomacy in addressing global challenges, saying his country’s foreign policy favored dialogue and diplomatic engagement over confrontation. He expressed Lisbon’s readiness to strengthen relations with Tehran.