Pope Leo says threats against Iran ‘unacceptable’ in unusual appeal after Trump warning

Pope Leo XIV leads a mass for Palm Sunday at St Peter's square in the Vatican on March 29, 2026. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)
Pope Leo XIV leads a mass for Palm Sunday at St Peter's square in the Vatican on March 29, 2026. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)

Pope Leo says that threats against Iran are “unacceptable,” in an unusual appeal hours after US President Donald Trump said “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran doesn’t agree to his demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, in a social media post that shocked world leaders.

Leo, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, calls on citizens across the world to contact their political representatives and ask them to bring the expanding regional conflict to an end.

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