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. Pezeshkian’s statement came after a series of strikes against Iran by Israel and the US, which killed the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Iran has responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in regional countries, mainly in the Gulf. However, Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries for Iran’s attacks, saying that they would not be targeted unless attacks originated from them.
Iran’s New Strategy
The interim leadership council, which includes Pezeshkian, 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 new strategy aims to reduce the escalation of the conflict and prevent further damage to the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf, as well as three locations of ‘separatist groups’ in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The Guards warned that they would ‘crush’ any groups that threatened Iran’s territorial integrity.
International Response
The international community is watching the situation closely, with foreign ministers of the Arab League set to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss ‘Iranian attacks on the territories of several Arab countries’. The meeting will aim to find a solution to the crisis and prevent further escalation.
Israel’s military said more than 80 fighter jets completed a wave of ‘broad-scale’ strikes on Iranian military sites, missile launchers, and other targets in Tehran and central Iran on Saturday. The strikes killed at least eight people in the central province of Isfahan.
Here are some key points about the conflict:
- Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that his country would never surrender to Israel and the US.
- Iran has responded to strikes with missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in the region.
- The interim leadership council agreed to cease attacks on neighbouring countries unless attacked first.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted an oil tanker and ‘separatist groups’ in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
For more information on the conflict, visit the BBC News website. You can also follow Al Jazeera for updates on the situation.
