Iranian President Massoud Pezheshkian addressed the Iranian public on television, calling on them to unite to defend the country, and warned the United States that there was no question of surrender.
The Iranian President said, “Unfortunately, a trend is developing in which they are bombarding wherever they want, disregarding all international laws, not even shying away from targeting schools, hospitals and various centers inside the country… We have to stand united and protect our water, soil and land. We are even ready to give our lives to bring our Iran out of this crisis gloriously. As far as our unconditional As for the idea of surrender, they should take this dream with them to the grave.”
The Iranian President’s reaction comes after US President Donald Trump’s earlier statement in which he had said that “there will be no agreement with Iran except unconditional surrender”, and had stressed that Tehran must surrender before any diplomatic talks can proceed.
Pezeshkian, trying to capitalize on the sentiment of Muslim unity, apologized to Gulf neighbors for the attacks on their soil and said there would be no further attacks on the neighbors.
He said, “We have no intention of aggression against neighboring countries: as I have said repeatedly, they are our brothers. We must work together with these loved ones of the region to establish peace and harmony. I hope that what has happened will change on the basis of the decision taken in our Temporary Leadership Council yesterday. This decision has been communicated to the armed forces: that from now on they will not attack or fire missiles at neighboring countries unless those countries intend to attack us. I believe that instead of facing the problem by fighting with neighboring countries, we should solve it through diplomacy.”
He continued, “And I send this message to neighboring countries where some groups or factions are thinking of taking advantage of this opportunity to attack our soil: It is better not to become puppets in the hands of imperialism. We may have differences, we may have grievances against each other, but right now, supporting Israel, which is committing genocide, and America, which is doing bullying – is becoming a puppet in the hands of the colonizers and those who promote genocide. – Too bad for those who dream of regaining their freedom and dignity.”
Pezeshkian also called on the Gulf countries to sit together and resolve their differences and not become victims of US-Israel conspiracies.
He said, “Respect cannot be achieved by living with foxes, liars and criminals. If there is any difference among us, it is better that we sit and find a solution, but we should not become puppets in the hands of Israel and America.”
Meanwhile, tensions on the war front have not subsided. A wave of Israeli airstrikes in Tehran and central Iran on Friday night targeted several key Iranian military targets, including an underground ballistic missile factory and a military academy, the Defense Ministry (IDF) said.
According to the Israeli military, more than 80 Israeli Air Force fighter planes dropped 230 bombs on targets during the attacks. The IDF reported that the targets included an underground base for the storage and production of ballistic missiles, from which hundreds of soldiers of the Iranian terrorist regime’s armed forces operated.
In response, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday night announced the launch of the 23rd wave of Operation True Promise 4, which emphasizes the deployment of new-age missile systems on occupied territories and US bases throughout the region. According to the statement, this latest wave included advanced missile systems designed to attack multiple targets.
