Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that the country will stop launching missile or drone attacks on neighbouring nations unless an attack on Iran begins from their territory. According to international reports, the decision was approved by Iran’s temporary leadership council and is being seen as the first clear step towards reducing tensions after days of intense fighting in the region.
Pezeshkian also apologised to neighbouring countries for the instability caused by the conflict and said Iran does not want the crisis to spread further across the region.
"I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran," he said, according to AFP. The announcement comes after the conflict that began when the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iranian targets last weekend. The attacks reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with hundreds of others.
Since then, Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting several locations linked to US and Israeli interests in the region. The ongoing exchanges have sharply increased fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
Iran says it will not surrender
While signalling a pause in attacks on neighbouring countries, President Pezeshkian made it clear that Iran will not back down from pressure by Israel or the United States.
In a speech broadcast on state television, he said the Iranian people would never surrender. He warned that those hoping for Iran’s surrender would not succeed, stressing that the country would continue to defend itself.
"The enemies must take their wish for the surrender of the Iranian people to their graves," AFP quoted Pezeshkian as saying.
Despite Iran’s announcement, tension remains high across the Gulf region. Residents in major cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates reported hearing explosions and missile alerts as air defence systems intercepted drones and missiles.
Authorities also confirmed that operations at Dubai International Airport were temporarily suspended on Saturday after passengers heard a loud explosion near the airport area. Officials described it as a “minor incident” and said the suspension was done to ensure passenger safety.
Heavy casualties reported in the conflict
The ongoing confrontation has already caused heavy losses. Reports indicate that at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, while over 200 people have died in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel. In addition, six US soldiers were reported killed during the escalation. The conflict has also disrupted air travel across the Gulf, forcing thousands of flights to be cancelled as several countries closed their airspace due to missile and drone threats.
