Rabat – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran will no longer target neighboring countries unless attacks against Iran are launched from their territory. His comments come as the war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel continues to intensify across the region.
In a prerecorded message, Pezeshkian said Iran’s interim leadership council approved the decision to avoid striking nearby countries. He also apologized to regional neighbors for the attacks that took place earlier in the conflict.
The Iranian president explained that Iran’s actions would change only if those countries allow their land or airspace to be used to launch attacks against Iran. In that case, he said, Iran would consider those locations legitimate targets.
His statement appears to be an attempt to calm tensions with neighboring states in the Middle East, many of which host US military bases.
However, Iran’s powerful military branch, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned that if attacks on Iran continue, all US and Israeli military forces and assets in the region could become targets.
The war has already spread across several countries in the Middle East. Explosions were reported again in Tehran as Israeli strikes hit locations in the Iranian capital.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump threatened that Iran “will be hit very hard” and suggested that new targets could be added to ongoing American attacks.
Iran has also continued launching missiles and drones toward US and Israeli interests in the region. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said at least 16 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones were launched toward the country in a recent wave of attacks. Most were intercepted by air defense systems.
The war has also affected Lebanon. Israeli air and ground attacks in the town of Nabi Chit killed at least 41 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Airspace closures and travel disruptions have spread across the Gulf region.
Despite the growing violence, Pezeshkian said Iran hopes to avoid expanding the conflict with neighboring countries. However, Iranian military officials insist that if attacks on the country continue, Iran will respond with further strikes across the region.
