ALBAWABA — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an apology to neighboring countries on Saturday, saying Iran will no longer target them unless attacks against the Islamic Republic originate from their territories.
In a televised address broadcast on state television, Pezeshkian announced that Iran’s interim leadership council had agreed not to carry out missile strikes or military attacks against neighboring states unless those countries are directly used as launch points for attacks on Iran.
The Iranian president said earlier strikes were taken as field decisions by the armed forces following the killing of several senior Iranian leaders, including the country’s Supreme Leader, during the early phase of the ongoing conflict.
“I apologize to neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said, stressing that Iran does not consider its neighbors enemies.
Despite the conciliatory message, Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran would not surrender to Israel or the United States, declaring that “the enemies will take their dream of the Iranian people’s surrender to the grave.”
The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions following the U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran, which began on February 28 and has since triggered a broader escalation across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss Iranian attacks on several Arab countries. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the meeting will take place via video conference after requests from a number of Arab states including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Egypt.
The Arab League had earlier condemned the Iranian strikes targeting Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, describing the attacks as a clear violation of the sovereignty of Arab states that were not directly involved in the conflict.
In a statement issued at the beginning of the escalation, the organization warned that the missile and drone attacks carried out by Iran represent a serious breach of regional stability and international norms.
The developments come as diplomatic and military tensions continue to rise across the region, raising concerns about the potential expansion of the conflict into a wider regional war.
