Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that the country’s interim leadership council had approved a suspension of attacks on neighbouring states, provided that Iran is not attacked from their territory.
In a major step toward de-escalation, Pezeshkian on Friday apologised to neighbouring countries and announced that Tehran will refrain from carrying out missile strikes or attacks against neighbouring states unless provoked. The announcement, reported by Reuters and AFP, signals Tehran’s attempt to ease regional tensions amid the ongoing conflict triggered by US-Israel strikes last weekend, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds of others.
“I must apologise on my own behalf and on behalf of Iran to the neighbouring countries that were affected by our actions,” Pezeshkian said, according to AFP.
However, he stressed that Iran would not surrender to Israel or the United States. “The enemies must take their wish for the surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” he added in a speech broadcast on state television.
Meanwhile, parts of the Gulf, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), continued to experience explosions, missile alerts, and air raid sirens, as Iran retaliated against the US-Israel strikes with missile and drone attacks.
Operations at Dubai International Airport were suspended on Saturday due to a “minor incident,” the Dubai Media Office said, adding that the suspension was for the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew. A loud boom was reported by passengers taking shelter at the airport.
The US-Israel strikes, which began on February 28, along with Iran’s counterattacks, have led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of flight cancellations due to Gulf airspace closures, and attacks on US bases and facilities across Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE.
Israeli warplanes also targeted Tehran and its ally Lebanon, raising the death toll to at least 1,230 in Iran, over 200 in Lebanon, around a dozen in Israel, and six US troops killed, according to the Associated Press. (Agency)
