Contrition amid conflict: Iran president apologizes to Gulf states after strikes

TEHRAN, March 7 — Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran, apologized on Saturday to neighboring Gulf countries for recent attacks on their territory, saying Tehran would halt such actions unless an assault against Iran originated from those states.

In a prerecorded address broadcast on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian said the strikes that targeted regional countries were the result of a miscommunication within military ranks. His remarks followed reports of repeated attacks earlier on Saturday against Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates amid the expanding regional conflict.

Apology to neighboring states,Pezeshkian said Iran did not intend to escalate tensions with its neighbors and expressed regret over the attacks. He said Tehran would halt such strikes unless an attack against Iran originated from those countries.The statement appeared aimed at easing tensions with Gulf states that host military installations linked to the United States and have reported missile and drone incidents during the escalating hostilities.Comments on US demandsIn the same address, Pezeshkian rejected calls from the United States for Iran to surrender unconditionally, dismissing the demand as unrealistic.His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that Washington would accept nothing less than Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as the conflict intensifies.Regional tensions persist .

The apology followed a series of attacks reported across the Gulf earlier on Saturday as the confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States widened across the region.Iranian state media aired Pezeshkian’s remarks as governments across the Middle East continued to monitor security conditions following missile and drone incidents affecting several Gulf states.