Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that his country would never surrender to Israel and the United States, as the Middle East war entered its second week. In a speech broadcast on state TV, Pezeshkian said Iran’s enemies ‘must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves.’
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. Iran has since responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in regional countries, mainly in the Gulf.
Iran’s Apology to Neighbours
Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries for Iran’s attacks across the region, saying that they would not be targeted unless attacks originated from them. ‘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 that no more attacks would be made on neighbouring countries and no missiles would be fired unless an attack on Iran originated from those countries. This decision comes as a surprise, given the escalating tensions in the region.
Recent Developments
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf in their conflict with Israel and the United States. The Guards also said they were ‘waiting’ for US forces to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Here are some key developments in the conflict:
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three locations of ‘separatist groups’ in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
- Israel’s military completed a wave of ‘broad-scale’ strikes on Iranian military sites, missile launchers and other targets in Tehran and central Iran.
- Iran’s army launched a wave of drone attacks targeting Israel as well as US bases in the UAE and Kuwait.
Foreign ministers of the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss ‘Iranian attacks on the territories of several Arab countries’, the bloc’s assistant secretary-general told Al Jazeera.
The conflict has sparked concerns about global oil supplies, with the Bloomberg reporting that oil prices have surged in recent days.
