Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, March 7: Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologised for Iran’s strikes on neighbouring countries allied with the United States, as the Middle East conflict entered its second week.

He asserted that Tehran would not attack any neighbouring nation unless Iran itself was attacked first.

“I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran. The interim leadership council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighbouring countries and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries,” he declared in a speech broadcast on state television, according to AFP.

Pezeshkian is one of three members of an interim leadership council currently governing the Islamic Republic following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint US–Israeli strikes on February 28.

The operation triggered the ongoing regional conflict, during which Iran has also targeted Gulf states hosting American military bases.

Meanwhile, the Iranian president rejected US president Donald Trump’s demand for “complete surrender”, stating: “Iran’s enemies must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves.”

Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the country’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were operating “independently”, describing them as “isolated” in the absence of the supreme leader, to whom the force reports.

“We have already instructed our armed forces to be careful about the targets they choose. In fact, our military units are now operating independently and somewhat isolated, acting based on general instructions provided to them in advance,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera.