The President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, has stated that Iran does not plan to invade neighbouring countries.
Pezeshkian stated this on Saturday while speaking in a video message aired by Iranian state television.
He apologised to neighbouring countries affected by retaliatory airstrikes in the week-old conflict against Israel and the United States.
The Iranian President vowed that they would not attack neighbouring countries unless attacked first.
Iran has conducted missile and drone strikes on multiple US military bases in Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait, as retaliation for the “preemptive” strikes launched by the US and Israel.
However, the president called for regional cooperation to “establish peace and calm”
“I deem it necessary to apologise to neighbouring countries that were attacked,” Pezeshkian said. “We do not intend to invade neighbouring countries.
Pezeshkian added that a leadership decision has been issued to the armed forces to “not attack neighbouring countries unless attacked first.”
“Those considering exploiting this moment to attack Iran must not become puppets of imperialism,” he said.
The president added that supporting Israel or the US is “not a path to honour and freedom”.
Shortly after his address, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said its armed forces had “intercepted” a missile attack.
