Iran has issued an apology for missile strikes on nearby Arab states and set out a pledge for how it will handle any future attacks, after Donald Trump warned the country to “surrender or die”.
Strikes by US and Israeli forces against Iran have been ongoing since February 28, after talks over Iran’s nuclear program ended without a deal.
Trump has since said he will only accept “unconditional surrender” from Iran, while Israel has also expanded operations to include airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon.
In response to the US and Israeli campaign, Iran has launched missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, along with strikes impacting several neighbouring Arab countries.
Those named as being hit include the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has now publicly apologised to the countries affected by Iran’s strikes.
Speaking on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian said: “I deem it necessary to apologise to neighbouring countries that were attacked.”
He added: “We do not intend to invade neighbouring countries,” and called for efforts to ‘establish peace and calm’.
Pezeshkian also indicated Iran would refrain from striking a neighbouring state unless an attack on Iran was launched from that territory.
He said the armed forces had been given new instructions, stating: “From now on, do not attack neighbouring countries unless attacked first.”
However, while his remarks appeared aimed at easing tensions with Iran’s neighbours, his tone shifted when addressing Washington, saying the demand for Iranian surrender ‘is a dream that they should to take to their grave’.
Trump previously posted a stark warning on Truth Social: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
He also said the US would ‘work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before’.
Pezeshkian also issued a warning to other Middle Eastern governments about US intentions, saying: “Those considering exploiting this moment to attack Iran must not become puppets of imperialism.”
Trump has since responded to Pezeshkian’s apology and portrayed it as a capitulation.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote that Iran ‘has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore’.
He added: “This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has been killed in the attacks, and the country is now moving through the process of choosing a successor.
Khamenei was the second Supreme Leader since the 1979 revolution, following Ruhollah Khomeini.
Whoever succeeds him is expected to be the first Supreme Leader without a direct role in the revolution that brought Iran’s Shia Islamist leadership to power.