"Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, accused Volodymyr Zelensky of attempting to 'drag other nations' into the Ukrainian conflict, during a press conference in Tehran on Monday. "We regret the suffering of the Ukrainian people under a leader who, for the past four years, has driven his country, with which we hold no differences, toward an inevitable war and who persistently continues on this path. Having failed to accomplish the objectives imposed on him by external parties, he now, regrettably, seeks to drag other nations in each instance," Baghaei said. Baghaei reiterated that Iran has no involvement in the war in Ukraine, arguing that Kiev’s problems will not be resolved while it continues to accuse Tehran of participating in the conflict. "This attempt to meddle in other conflicts amounts to complicity and collaboration with those aggressing against Iran, which will render this government internationally accountable, something the Iranian people will never forgive," he added. The Iranian official also dismissed remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had urged Tehran to end hostilities, calling the appeal 'utterly absurd'. "To demand that a country under military attack, defending itself, to end the war. We did not initiate the war, so why should we be expected to end it? Others launched the war and imposed it upon us. Reason, logic, and responsibility require that we hold accountable those who created and sponsored this situation," Baghaei said. The remarks come amid escalating regional tensions following a joint military operation launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. Tehran later announced retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli territory and US military assets across the region. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reported killed on the first day of the conflict. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was later announced as his successor. The fighting has also drawn in Hezbollah, which said it had intervened in the war to avenge Khamenei’s killing. The escalation has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies that normally carries around 20 per cent of the world’s oil shipments, pushing oil prices above $100 per barrel and adding pressure to global markets."