Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkin, in a short video posted earlier today, issued an apology Pezeshkian further conveyed his apologies to neighboring countries that have been attacked by Iran. He explained that Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as well as many military commanders and ordinary people have been martyred due to the brutal aggression of enemies, noting that when commanders are absent, the brave Armed Forces act decisively to defend the homeland with honor (and sometimes without clear direction as other Iranian officials have also stated -ed.), reported Tasnim.
Instead, Pezeshkian clarified that Iran has no intention of invading neighboring countries, reiterating that they are considered brothers. He called for collaboration with the neighboring nations to establish peace and tranquility in the region.
Pointing to a decision made during a recent meeting of the temporary leadership council, Pezeshkian reported that the Armed Forces of Iran have been instructed not to attack the neighboring countries or launch missiles unless the enemies intend to attack Iran from those countries.
Pezeshkian’s apology reportedly caused an uproar in the Iranian parliament because he didn’t specify which countries he was talking about. Later, the Middle East Spectator clarified that Pezeshkian’s apology only applied to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Oman and Pakistan. Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said “As long as the presence of U.S. bases in the region continues, these countries will not enjoy peace,” which applies to the Persian Gulf countries.
In response, President Trump issued a manic statement declaring victory in which he claimed that Iran “which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore.” Trump was apparently unaware that Iranian drone strikes continue against those Gulf states that host US bases.
“This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack,” he continued. “They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, ‘Thank you President Trump.’ I have said, ‘You’re welcome!’ 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! 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.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi responded to Trump’s bluster by pointing out that the American people “voted to end involvement in costly quagmires in the Middle East. Instead, they have ended up with an Administration that Netanyahu, after decades of failed attempts, finally managed to dupe into fighting Israel’s wars. This is a war of choice pursued by a small cabal of ‘Israel Firsters', and ‘Israel First’ always means ‘America Last.’”