Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday that the country would never surrender to Israel and the United States, as the Middle East conflict entered its second week.
In a speech broadcast on state television, 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 coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggering a wider regional conflict.
Since then, Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. interests in several countries across the region, particularly in the Gulf.
Pezeshkian is one of three members of an interim leadership council overseeing Iran’s affairs following Khamenei’s death.
During his address, the Iranian president apologised to neighbouring countries affected by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, stating that Tehran would avoid targeting them unless attacks on Iran originated from their territories.
“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 further attacks will be carried out against neighbouring countries, and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”
AFP
