Iran‘s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to its Gulf neighbours on Saturday for targeting them with deadly drone and missile strikes and claimed the assaults would end unless they were used as bases to attack Iran.
In a pre-recorded video aired this morning, Pezeshkian expressed regret that his Middle Eastern neighbours, some of which host major US military bases, had come under fire.
Speaking next to a picture of killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he claimed that no more strikes would be aimed at Gulf states unless they are used as bases for further attacks against Iran.
Pezeshkian added that Iran would never surrender to the US, calling President Donald Trump‘s call for total capitulation a ‘dream’ the US ‘can take to their graves’.
But hours later, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claimed in a statement to have targeted US bases in the UAE and Kuwait.
Minutes after the statement Qatar also issued a ‘heightened’ security alert to citizens, later confirming it had intercepted an Iranian missile.
In a statement the IRGC contradicted the Iranian President and said that all US and Israeli assets in the region would be considered ‘primary targets’ if attacks on Iran continued.
US President Donald Trump hit out at the apology, claiming it was only due to ‘relentless’ attacks by America and Israel, adding Iran ‘will be hit very hard today’.
It comes after fresh waves of attacks by both Israel and Iran overnight, which saw airports in both Tehran and Dubai targeted.
In a pre-recorded video aired this morning, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed regret that his Middle Eastern neighbours, some of which host major US military bases, had come under fire
Smoke and fire rise from the site of airstrikes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7
Speaking in a video message today, Pezeshkian said: ‘I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf.’
He added: ‘From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries.
‘I think we should solve this through diplomacy.’
But he also struck a defiant tone in vowing his country would never give in.
Iran’s enemies ‘must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,’ Pezeshkian said, in the speech broadcast on state TV.
Although the President did not directly address the death of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes last Saturday, he added: ‘Our commanders, leaders and loved ones lost their lives due to the brutal aggression that took place, and our armed forces are heroes who gave their lives to defend our territorial integrity.
‘Our commanders took all the necessary measures and defended our land with dignity and strength.’
But hours later, the IRGC contradicted Pezeshkian in statement in which they declared: ‘Should the previous hostile actions continue, all military bases and interests of criminal America and the fake Zionist regime on land, at sea, and in the air across the region will be considered primary targets and will come under the powerful and crushing strikes of the mighty armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.’
Damage caused by an Iranian drone attack at Dubai International Airport on March 7
Smoke rises above the Iranian capital, Tehran, following further airstrikes on Saturday
Responding to the Iranian President’s remarks, Donald Trump said in a statement on Truth Social today: ‘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. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries.
‘They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!
‘Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.’
It came as Israel announced a fresh blitz led by 80 fighter jets which set one of Tehran’s main airports on fire.
The wave of pre-dawn Israeli raids was one of the biggest since the bombing campaign began last Saturday, with a military academy, an underground command centre and a missile storage facility named as targets.
Photos showed fire and smoke billowing from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, one of two that serve the capital. Israel also hit areas in Lebanon overnight, saying it was striking Hezbollah targets.
Iran also hit back on Saturday, with air raid alerts and explosions heard above Jerusalem as well as Gulf cities Dubai, Manama and near Riyadh – where Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base housing US military personnel.
Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, briefly suspended all operations on Saturday after an Iranian suicide drone attack led to a small fire.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted the oil tanker Prima in the Gulf as it attempted to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global shipping that Iran has effectively closed.
They later said strikes had been carried out against Israel and US military bases in Kuwait and the UAE.
Now entering its second week, the war was sparked by joint Israeli and US airstrikes last Saturday that killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and destroyed military, administrative and security infrastructure.
It has been reported that at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel. Six US troops have also been killed.