Tehran: In a bid to de-escalate spiralling regional tensions, Iran’s interim President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologised to neighbouring countries for prior attacks and announced Tehran’s suspension of missile strikes or assaults on them — unless attacks on Iran originate from their soil.
The temporary leadership council approved the move, marking Tehran’s first major step back from the brink. Pezeshkian made the remarks in a state TV speech, as reported by Reuters, AFP and others.
“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.
Pezeshkian struck a defiant note against the US
and Israel. “The enemies must take their wish for the surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” he added.
Tensions exploded on February 28 when US-Israel joint strikes targeted Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds more. Iran retaliated with waves of drone and missile attacks on US bases and facilities in Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, prompting widespread air raid sirens, explosions and airspace closures. Israeli warplanes have since hammered Tehran and ally Lebanon.
The toll stands at 1,230 dead in Iran, over 200 in Lebanon, about a dozen in Israel and six US troops, according to officials cited by Associated Press.
Gulf hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE endured repeated alerts along with air-raid sirens on Saturday, intercepting incoming threats. Dubai International Airport halted operations after a “minor incident”, with passengers hearing a loud boom while sheltering.
The clashes have grounded thousands of flights across the Gulf, disrupting global travel amid fears of the conflict spreading to other regions.