Iran’s Pezeshkian says ‘will not surrender’ to US and Israel as West Asia conflict escalates – Firstpost

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday reasserted that the country will not surrender to the US and Israel, as the West Asian conflict entered its second week.

Iran’s enemies “must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” Pezeshkian said, in a speech broadcast on state TV.

Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering a regional conflict.

‘I apologise to our neighbours’

Pezeshkian also used the stage to apologise to Iran’s neighbours for the attacks that are targeted against US military bases. He also said that the country’s leadership will not launch attacks on other West Asian countries unless strikes originate from those nations.

“I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” he said.

“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 added.

Arab leaders to meet on Sunday

The foreign ministers of the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss Iranian attacks on several of the group’s members, the bloc’s assistant secretary-general told AFP.

The meeting, which will be held via videoconference, was requested by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Egypt, Hossam Zaki said.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit had earlier condemned the Iranian attacks, saying they are “fully reprehensible” and “not only a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, but also an assault on the principles of good neighbourliness”.

Iran war update

The US-Iran war officially marked a week on Saturday with fresh strikes across West Asia. Iran launched missiles towards Israel, with Tel Aviv saying that its military is responding to the barrage.

Meanwhile, explosions were heard in Dubai and Bahrain’s capital, Manama. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s interior ministry posted on X.

Iran’s army has said its navy had launched a wave of drone attacks targeting Israel as well as US bases in the UAE and Kuwait, as the regional war raged into its second week.

“The Iranian Navy targeted American bases and occupied territories with a massive wave of drone attacks,” the army said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

With inputs from agencies