Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Shanghai Plus summits in Kyrgyzstan.

He thanked New Delhi for its support and cooperation with Iran during the recent US-Israeli war of aggression and emphasized the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to restore peace and stability.

The Iranian president said that from the beginning of his administration, Iran’s approach had been based on securing peace and stability and resolving disputes through dialogue and negotiations. However, he said, the US has chosen “the path of war, insecurity and imposing its will through force” instead of diplomatic mechanisms.

Pezeshkian stressed that Iran “never welcomes war,” saying it is the government’s responsibility to protect the Iranian people from danger and insecurity and create conditions for peace, tranquility and security.

He also said Iran honored its commitments under agreements reached to resolve outstanding issues, while the US side has failed to fulfill its obligations. Despite this, he said, Tehran continues to pursue an agreement and mutual understanding.

“We believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region, nor in line with the interests of humanity,” Pezeshkian said.

The president argued that “reason and logic dictate that we should avoid war and warmongering,” while noting that some groups inside the United States see their interests in the continuation of conflict. He called for strengthening pro-peace efforts and moving toward peace, stability and security.

Pezeshkian highlighted India’s important regional and global position and its deep historical and cultural ties with Iran, asking Modi to use India’s communications with various parties to help encourage them to move away from “war and bloodshed” toward dialogue and agreement.

He said the desire of rational actors in the region and around the world is for peace, security and tranquility and avoidance of war, adding, “We believe that the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation.”

Pezeshkian also expressed Iran’s readiness to further expand bilateral relations with India in all fields, saying the two countries have broad potential for cooperation in political, economic, scientific, cultural and other areas.

He said stronger bilateral cooperation and efforts to neutralize the effects of sanctions could help further elevate relations between Tehran and New Delhi. Despite efforts by the United States and the Israeli regime to restrict Iran’s cooperation with other countries, he stressed, Tehran is ready to expand ties with India in various fields.

For his part, Modi expressed satisfaction at meeting Pezeshkian and said India had sought to maintain its cooperation and communications with Iran during the recent difficult period.

Referring to Pezeshkian’s views and experience regarding peace and security, Modi described him as a peace-loving leader who could play an effective role in achieving peace, expressing confidence that his efforts would ultimately produce positive results.

The Indian prime minister also agreed with Pezeshkian that some groups see their interests in the continuation of war, stressing the need to intensify efforts to establish peace and expressing his belief that peace and security would ultimately prevail.

The two leaders also discussed the latest state of bilateral cooperation, including transportation and maritime cooperation, developments related to the Strait of Hormuz and cooperation at the port of Chabahar.

They emphasized the importance of utilizing existing capacities to expand economic and trade relations and strengthen strategic cooperation between Iran and India.