Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, has declared that the country has no intention of invading neighbouring nations.
Pezeshkian made the statement on Saturday in a video message broadcast on Iranian state television.
During the address, the Iranian leader apologised to neighbouring countries that were affected by retaliatory airstrikes amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
He assured that Iran would not launch attacks against neighbouring states unless it was first attacked.
In recent days, Iran reportedly carried out missile and drone strikes targeting several U.S. military bases located in Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. The strikes were described as retaliation for what Tehran called “preemptive” attacks carried out by the United States and Israel.
Despite the escalation, Pezeshkian urged countries in the region to work together to restore stability.
“I deem it necessary to apologise to neighbouring countries that were attacked,” he said, reiterating that Iran has no plans to invade other nations.
He added that Iran’s leadership had instructed the armed forces not to strike neighbouring countries unless they initiate an attack.
The president also warned countries against taking advantage of the current situation to confront Iran, cautioning them not to become “puppets of imperialism.”
According to him, aligning with Israel or the United States would not lead to “honour and freedom.”
Shortly after the president’s remarks, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence announced that its armed forces had successfully intercepted a missile attack.