Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologised to the neighbouring countries for the escalating regional tensions, saying Iran has no intention of invading other states. In a televised address to the nation, Pezeshkian said Iran’s interim leadership council had decided that neighbouring countries would not be targeted unless attacks against Iran originate from their territory.
In the same address, Pezeshkian issued a strong warning to the United States and Israel, rejecting calls for Iran to surrender. He said, “They will take their dreams of Iran surrendering unconditionally to the grave”. Furthermore, he called on the Iranian people to join hands to defend the country.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” from Iran. He stated on Friday that there would be no agreement with Iran unless Tehran accepted “unconditional surrender, outlining a hardline position on the future of the Iranian leadership and the country’s political direction. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said any settlement with Iran would begin only after Tehran capitulates and a new leadership acceptable to the United States and its partners emerges. “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote.
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No intention of aggression against neighbours: Iran
Referring to the neighbouring countries as brothers, the President clarified that the country holds no intention of aggression against them. Rather, he appealed to them to join hands to establish peace and tranquillity in the region. He said, “I hope that what happened will change based on the decision we took yesterday in our temporary leadership council. This decision has been reported to the armed forces: that from now on, they should not attack or fire missiles at neighbouring countries unless those countries intend to attack us. I believe we must resolve this through diplomacy rather than facing problems by fighting with neighbouring countries.”