Iran will not strike neighbours if not attacked: Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will not launch further attacks on neighbouring countries if Iran is not attacked from those countries. The decision was made at a meeting of the country's interim leadership council on Friday.

He made the remarks in a speech broadcast on Iranian state television on Saturday. Pezeshkian said he expresses regret to neighbouring Arab countries where Iran has launched attacks. He further stated that if attacks on Iran do not come from neighbouring countries, then no further attacks or missile strikes will be carried out against those countries.

However, he emphasised that Iran will not surrender under any circumstances. In his words, those dreaming of the surrender of the Iranian people will never see that hope fulfilled.

On February 28, around 9:30 am local time in Iran, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes. In the attacks carried out on the Iranian capital Tehran, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top officials were killed. Since then, Iran has begun retaliatory strikes on Israel. Simultaneously, Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces have been carrying out attacks on various locations, including US bases, in different countries across the Middle East.