Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian clarified on Saturday that Iran will not attack neighbouring countries unless they support the United States in military action against Tehran. His office issued the statement after US President Donald Trump described Iran’s apology to regional countries as a sign of defeat.
Pezeshkian’s office said Iran sent a clear message to the region. “If countries in the region do not cooperate in the US attack on Iran, we will not attack them.”
US bases in the region raise tensions
Several countries in the Middle East host American military bases. These include the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Iran has targeted some of these bases during the conflict. Missile and drone attacks near the bases have also caused damage in nearby cities.
A senior official from Pezeshkian’s office said Iran will respond strongly to any aggression. “Iran will never submit to coercion. Our powerful armed forces will give a decisive response to any aggression from US bases in the region,” the official said, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.
Trump claims Iran has surrendered
Earlier, Donald Trump said Iran had admitted defeat. He said Tehran apologised to neighbouring countries because of military pressure from the United States and Israel. Trump shared his comments on Truth Social.
“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack,” Trump wrote.
Trump also accused Iran of trying to dominate the region. He said Iran was “looking to take over and rule the Middle East” and that “it is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years".
Iran says it wants to avoid escalation
Earlier on Saturday, Pezeshkian signalled that Iran wanted to reduce tensions with nearby countries. He said Iran had instructed its armed forces not to attack neighbouring states unless those countries launched attacks against Iran.
Pezeshkian called regional countries “brothers”. “We have no intention of attacking neighboring countries." He also said Iranian forces had orders “not to attack or launch missiles at neighbouring countries unless attacked from there".
Trump warns of more attacks
Trump also issued a new warning to Iran. He said the United States could strike additional targets. He said Iran would be “hit very hard” on Saturday, March 7. He added that new locations could be targeted because of Iran’s “bad behaviour”.
Fighting continues across the Gulf
Missiles and drones continued to fly across parts of the Gulf region despite Pezeshkian’s apology, according to Associated Press.
The conflict started on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. The attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The killing shocked the international community and triggered a wider military confrontation.
Explosions reported in Gulf cities
Cities in the Gulf continued to report explosions and air raid sirens. Residents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi heard blasts after missile alerts. Authorities at Dubai International Airport briefly suspended operations on Saturday after officials reported a “minor incident”.
The ongoing strikes have increased fears that the conflict could spread further across the Middle East.