Iran’s president says Tehran will stop attacks on Gulf neighbors amid US-Israel strikes

CAIRO – 7 March 2026: Iran said on Saturday that it will halt its attacks on neighboring Gulf countries in response to the ongoing US-Israeli strikes against Iranian targets over the past week.

In a speech broadcast on state television, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will not attack its Gulf neighbors unless they initiate hostilities.

“I personally apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran. We do not intend to attack neighboring states, and as I have repeatedly said, they are our brothers,” the Iranian president said.

He added that the three-member leadership council currently governing Iran had informed the armed forces that no attacks should be launched against neighboring countries, nor missiles fired at them, unless those countries first attempt to attack Iran.

“I believe we need to resolve this issue through diplomacy rather than fighting and creating problems with neighboring states,” he said.

Pezeshkian also urged Gulf states not to become “a tool in the hands of imperialism,” warning them against launching attacks on Iranian territory.

The Iranian attacks on Gulf states have continued on a daily basis, following Tehran’s vow to target the US military presence in those countries after coordinated strikes against Iran by the United States and Israel.