Ebrahim Raisi, a presidential candidate who came second in elections, has said that wars raging across the globe cannot be ended through a policy of warmongering, but instead through cooperation and respect towards the democratic choices of the people.

“In Syria, and in other places, under no circumstances we are of the opinion that war and warmongering is a means to resolve the problems. Rather we said categorically that issues have to be solved by respecting and accepting people’s opinions in Syria or elsewhere,” Raisi told RT in an exclusive interview published on Saturday.

“We think the democratic solution is a good solution. Be it in Syria, in Yemen, in Lebanon, in many parts of the world,” he said. 

According to Raisi, Iran desires “peace to prevail across the world” as its doctrine is built to “prevent wars.”

Iran’s military buildup, including military drills and missile tests, only serves this purpose, Raisi said. “Military capability should not be used to threaten others, for warmongering.”

The road to peace is paved by establishing “dignified and honorable” relationship with countries worldwide and specifically close cooperation with Iran’s neighbors, Raisi believes. “Cultural exchange, economic co-operation and society interaction” should play here a key role, he noted, adding that those who pursue tensions worldwide “should stop.”