Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country did not choose the war and that it was forced upon it, and said an agreement with the United States had already been reached and signed before the escalation, according to Sputnik Globe, which carried an interview with Fox News.

“We did not choose war. The war was imposed on us. We do not seek war,” he said, warning in the same interview that Iran will respond “strongly” if attacks continue, according to The Hill.