Pope Leo XIV, Spanish PM condemn US-Israeli war on Iran as unjust, illegal

Pope Leo XIV, during a visit to Spain on Saturday, condemned the US-Israeli war against Iran as unjust, stating that the conflict could not be justified within the framework of the 'just war' theory. According to Politico, the Pope labeled the war on Iran as 'unjust,' while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez habitually calls it 'illegal.'

Speaking to reporters on the plane carrying the Vatican delegation, Pope Leo said, 'There is no just war in this case.' He added that the just war theory was a theory of the past, a time when humanity was not yet familiar with the destructive dimensions of modern weapons and their capabilities for mass destruction.

The statement of the world's Catholic leader was made in response to remarks by US Vice President J.D. Vance, who had previously invoked the concept of just war to defend Washington's military operations against Tehran.

According to Mehr News Agency (MNA), the Pope's remarks and Sánchez's consistent position highlight growing international opposition to the military campaign against Iran.