Iran says will not target neighbours unless attacked from them
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that the country’s neighbours will not be targeted unless attacks originate from their territory during the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States.
“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,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television.
In the same address, he apologised for attacks that had impacted neighbouring states during the conflict. “I apologise… to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” Pezeshkian said, reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to avoiding further escalation beyond its borders.
The council has been guiding Iran since US and Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week, triggering a broader Middle East war.
Separately, in a post on X. Iranian president said the Islamic Republic remained committed to maintaining friendly relations with regional countries based on good neighbourliness and respect for sovereignty.
جمهوری اسلامی ایران بر حفظ و تداوم روابط دوستانه با دولت های منطقه بر مبنای حسن همجواری و احترام متقابل به حاکمیت ملی و تمامیت سرزمینی همواره تاکید دارد. این امر نافی حق ذاتی ایران برای دفاع از خود در برابر تجاوز نظامی آمریکا و رژیم صهیونیستی نیست.
Pezeshkian said that Iran had “consistently emphasized maintaining and strengthening friendly relations with regional governments on the basis of good neighbourliness and mutual respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
However, he added that this stance did not undermine Iran’s right to defend itself. “This does not negate Iran’s inherent right to defend itself against military aggression by the United States and Israel,” Pezeshkian said.
Meanwhile, Iran confirmed that a new supreme leader will be chosen according to its constitutional process and “without any foreign interference,” as the war entered its second week amid uncertainty over when hostilities might end. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani emphasised that the decision would be made “solely by the will of the Iranian people.”
The announcement comes after US President Donald Trump demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” and suggested that Washington should have a role in selecting the next Iranian leader. Trump’s remarks followed Pezeshkian’s social media statements indicating that unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, briefly raising hopes of a diplomatic resolution.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he added.
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Civilians have been severely affected. “We’re sleeping here in the streets—some in cars, some on the street, some on the beach,” said Jamal Seifeddin, 43, who fled Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Around 300,000 people have been displaced, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. Lebanese authorities report 123 dead and 683 wounded from Israeli strikes.
European and US stock markets fell, and oil prices hit multi-year highs, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed. About one-fifth of global daily oil shipments pass through the strait.
Washington said it would provide reinsurance for losses up to $20 billion in the Gulf to support oil and gas shippers, and Trump indicated the US Navy could escort ships in the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded that Tehran “welcomes” any US presence, and Russia is reportedly supplying Iran with intelligence on US military movements.
Iran has described the conflict as an unprovoked attack and Khamenei’s killing as an assassination.
The Trump administration is accelerating weapons production as stockpiles deplete. On Friday, Trump met with executives from seven defence contractors to speed up production. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the US has sufficient weapons for the campaign, expected to last four to six weeks.
The State Department approved $151.8 million in munitions sales to Israel, bypassing the usual congressional review, citing an emergency.
US military investigators are examining a strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed dozens on the first day of the war. Officials told Reuters it is likely US forces were responsible, though a final conclusion has not been reached.