“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that have been attacked by Iran.”
That statement was made Saturday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
He stated that Iranian armed forces launched attacks in order to “defend our territorial integrity.”
According to the president, the transitional government instructed the military on Friday not to carry out further attacks against neighboring countries.
“From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them unless we are attacked from those countries. I believe we should resolve this through diplomacy,” Pezeshkian continued.
Shortly after the president’s announcement, Qatari authorities reported that their military had prevented a missile attack against the country.
On Saturday morning, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also announced that it had launched an attack on the American portion of the Al Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Reuters reports.
President Likely Has Limited Power
The Iranian president likely has limited power over the military at this time, Al Jazeera journalist Resul Serdar told his network.
“I don’t suppose Pezeshkian or other politicians will have any influence on security policy,” he said.
Instead, he believes the Revolutionary Guard is now in control.
“They will decide whether or not to attack,” Serdar said.
Warning to Europe
On Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told France 24 that European countries would be “legitimate targets” for Iranian retaliation if they joined the war against Iran.
He further stated that Iranian officials had negotiated with the United States in quality faith before the Trump administration decided to attack a week ago.
“We do not trust the Americans. They not only betrayed us, but they also betrayed diplomacy,” he said.
Irans president Masoud Pezeshkian.
Foto: Vahid Salemi / AP / NTB
New Attacks Against Iran
On Saturday, Israel began new extensive attacks against Tehran and Isfahan in Iran, the Israeli military (IDF) wrote on Telegram this morning. The escalating conflict raises concerns about a wider regional war.
Iranian state media reported this morning about large explosions in several places in the country, Reuters reports.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim, which has close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported heavy airstrikes at Tehran’s international Mehrabad airport.
Video from the scene, which CNN has geolocated, shows the airport on fire overnight.
Reuters worked to verify the video and determined that buildings, roads, and signs correspond with information from satellite images and maps. They found no evidence that the video had been published previously.
You’ll see reports of attacks in several places in the Middle East overnight.
Attacks were also reported in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 16 people were killed in an attack on the town of Nabi Chit in eastern Lebanon.
At least 35 people were injured, and authorities expect the death toll to rise.
Reports of explosions also came from Dubai and Manama.
787 Killed So Far
One week after Israel and the United States launched attacks against Iran, the situation in the Middle East has escalated further.
At least 787 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to the Red Crescent. Over 4,000 civilian buildings have been destroyed.
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