US President, Donald Trump has hinted that he will escalate the war in Iran today, saying in a post on Truth Social that there will strikes on Iran.
“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”
Donald Trump
Trump appeared to cite how Iran’s President apologized in an earlier address, and claimed that Masoud Pezeshkian “surrendered” to its neighbors in the Middle East and “promised that it will not shoot at them anymore.” “This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack,” Trump wrote.
“Iran is no longer the ‘Bully of the Middle East,’ they are, instead, ‘THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,’ and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard!”
Donald Trump
Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to Arab Gulf nations in a remarkable address on this morning, saying that Tehran would stop striking its neighbors unless any attacks on Iran originated from those countries.
“I personally apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran. We do not intend to attack neighboring countries. As I have repeatedly said they are our brothers.”
Masoud Pezeshkian
He added that the three-member leadership council temporarily ruling Iran had told armed forces that from now on “there should be no attack on neighboring countries or hit missiles unless they would want to attack us from those countries.”“I think we need to solve this with diplomacy rather than fighting and having problems with neighboring countries,” he added.
He urged Gulf nations not to become a “plaything in the hands of imperialism,” warning them not to attack Iranian territory
It’s not clear if the President’s announcement comes into effect immediately. After the address, interceptions continued over the United Arab Emirates and sirens rang in Bahrain.
This comes after a week of near-constant Iranian bombardment of its Gulf neighbors, closing down the region’s airspace and triggering a rush of travelers trying to leave the Middle East.
Iran Vows Firm Response To Aggression From US Bases
Later, Iran pledged a firm response to any aggression from United States bases in the region after President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to Arab Gulf nations and said Iran would stop striking its neighbors unless it came under attack.
The Deputy Head of Pezeshkian’s office issued an “explanation” of the President’s comments, which US President Donald Trump claimed was evidence that Iran had “surrendered” to its neighbors. “We will respond decisively to any aggression from American bases,” the office said in a statement. “The message from President Pezeshkian is clear: if regional countries do not cooperate in America’s attack on us, we will not attack them,” it added.
Pezeshkian, also seeming to clarify his earlier remarks, wrote on X that Iran has always sought friendly relations with its neighbors, but stressed that this “does not negate Iran’s inherent right to defend itself” against the US and Israel.
“We will stand and resist to the last drop of our lives to defend our country. We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries; rather, we have targeted US bases, facilities, and military assets in the region.”
Masoud Pezeshkian
Clerics Urge For Swift Election Of New Supreme Leader
Meanwhile, several prominent clerics in Iran urged the swift election of a new Supreme Leader, one week after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi urged the country’s Assembly of Experts to act quickly, saying in a statement, “The timely realization of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organization of affairs.”
His call was echoed by two other clerics, according to Iranian state media. Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani emphasized accelerating the leadership election, according to state news agency IRNA, while Ayatollah Abdolkarim Abedini said that “any shortcoming in the selection of the leader will be blamed on all those involved.” Abedini is not a member of the Assembly.
On Friday, Jamileh Alamolhoda, widow of Iran’s former President Ibrahim Raisi, also called on the Assembly of Experts to “promptly identify and select a new leader, (and) block the path of discord and division.”
It’s unclear whether the Assembly, a panel of 88 clerics, has been able to meet since US and Israeli airstrikes began a week ago.
Analysts regard Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as one of the leading candidates to succeed his father, but he has not been heard from in the last week.
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