Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said some countries had begun mediation efforts over the regional conflict but that Tehran would not waver in defending its sovereignty, he wrote on X on March 6.

The president's dual message of peace and resolve comes as Iran's temporary Leadership Council, which Pezeshkian chairs alongside Chief Justice Mohseni Ejei and Guardian Council jurist Ayatollah Arafi, oversees the country's war effort while the Assembly of Experts deliberates on a permanent successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Our answer to them is clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we have not the slightest hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our country," Pezeshkian said.

He said mediation efforts should be directed at "those who started the fire by underestimating the people of Iran" rather than at Tehran.

The statement came as Iran continued retaliatory operations against US and Israeli targets across the region while maintaining that its armed forces "did not initiate the aggression," as senior adviser Ali Larijani said earlier in the conflict.

Pezeshkian's comments suggest Iran may be open to a diplomatic off-ramp while insisting on terms that acknowledge Tehran as the aggrieved party.

Several countries have attempted to mediate since the conflict began on February 28, with Oman reported to have served as a channel between Washington and Tehran, though Larijani publicly denied a Wall Street Journal report that Iran had offered to resume negotiations with the US.