Iran’s Tells Gulf Nations Attacks Will Only Occur if Provoked

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran would not surrender to Israel or the United States as the Middle East conflict entered its second week.

The comments were delivered in a speech broadcast on state television, in which Pezeshkian said Iran would continue to resist calls for the country’s unconditional surrender.

Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and triggering a wider regional conflict.

Iran has since responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US interests in several regional countries, mainly in the Gulf.

Pezeshkian is one of three members of an interim leadership council that has overseen the country’s leadership since Khamenei’s death.

During the speech, Pezeshkian also apologized to neighboring countries for Iran’s attacks across the region and said they would not be targeted unless attacks against Iran originated from their territory.

He said the interim leadership council had agreed that no further attacks would be carried out against neighboring countries and that missiles would not be launched unless an attack on Iran originated from those countries.