Khaberni - Iranian President, Masoud Bezshkian, said today, Sunday, that his statements "were distorted by the enemy who seeks to sow discord with neighbors", after they were interpreted as a decision to suspend assaults on Gulf states, while the airstrikes have not stopped. He added: "It has been repeatedly said that we are brothers and our relations with our neighbors should be cordial. However, we are forced to respond to attacks, but this does not mean that we have a conflict with a neighboring state or that we want to provoke its people".
Yesterday, Saturday, in a televised message, Bezshkian apologized to the regional countries that were subjected to Iranian attacks during the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic, saying that the interim Iranian leadership council "decided on Friday to stop these attacks on regional states unless Iran is targeted from their territories". He attributed these attacks to "spontaneous actions" by the Iranian armed forces amid the absence of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the military leaders after their assassination.
These statements drew criticism within Iran while U.S. President Donald Trump described them as "surrender", stating that "Iran, which is receiving very harsh strikes, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and pledged that it will no longer fire at them".
This morning, Sunday, in televised remarks, the Iranian President said: "As we have repeatedly stated, we are brothers with the neighboring countries, and our relations must be good". Meanwhile, he noted that his country would respond to any attack it faces from any country. He continued "responding does not mean that we have a dispute or disagreement with that country, or that we want to annoy its people, but it is a response we are compelled to make".
He expressed concerns about "the dear people who have been distressed by this tension in the region, and we have apologized to them", stating: "We are friends with the countries in the region and they are our brothers, we must work hand in hand and not allow America and Israel to deceive the regional countries to stand against each other". He added that "there are those within and around the country who have problems with us, but now is not the time to raise these disputes. If there is a dispute, we must solve it among ourselves". He said that the more pressure is put on Iranian soil, the stronger its response will be, confirming that the Iranian armed forces "will defend the homeland and have not and will not retreat in the face of force, injustice, and aggression".
