Iran’s president apologizes for strikes as missiles and drones pound cities – National
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran’s president apologized Saturday for attacks on regional countries as its missiles and drones flew over Gulf Arab states, showing that Tehran’s political leadership was unable to use the full force of Iran’s military. He also rejected US President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that he surrender.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, the only member of the tripartite leadership council that has presided over Iran since the February 28 air strike that started the war and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered a defiant message a week into the conflict that has spread across the region, rocked global markets and air travel and left Iran’s own leadership severely weakened by hundreds of Israeli and American airstrikes.
The message, which appears to have been captured quickly without professional broadcast equipment, reiterated the limited power exercised by the King’s religious leaders over their Revolutionary Guard, which controls ballistic missiles aimed at Israel and others. It answered only to Khamenei and now seems to be choosing its own targets as the conflict escalates.
Shortly after Pezeshkian’s message, Trump warned in a social media post on Saturday that many Iranian officials would be casualties in the war, writing: “Today Iran will be hit hard!” In comments on his Truth Social website, Trump noted Pezeshkian’s apology.
“Under the intense scrutiny of total destruction and certain death, due to Iran’s bad behavior, are places and groups of people that could not be considered to target until now,” Trump wrote, without elaborating.
While Iran’s president tried to calm Gulf Arab anger over the attack, a few hours earlier a wave of missiles and drones disrupted air traffic at Dubai International Airport, targeting a major Saudi oil facility and sending people fleeing several times in Bahrain.
Pezeshkian also last criticized Trump’s call for Iran’s unconditional surrender to America.
“That is a dream they must take to their grave,” he said.
Pezeshkian’s statement on Saturday said Iran’s triad council had been in contact with the military over the attack.
“I have to apologize to the neighboring countries attacked by Iran, on my behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they must not attack neighboring countries or shoot missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries.
Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s military, then added to the confusion by saying after Pezeshkian that Tehran “hasn’t hit countries that didn’t give space for America to attack our country.”
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The US strikes have not come from the Gulf Arab countries that are being attacked now.
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In a possible response to the ongoing political confusion, on Saturday, Iran’s most prominent cleric, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, urged the country’s Assembly of Experts to act quickly to name a new supreme leader. The buildings associated with the group of 88 priests have been attacked by planes in the war, which may have curtailed any meeting of the group.
“The timely realization of this important issue will lead to the management of the country and the organization of affairs in the best possible way,” Shirazi said in a statement.
The US says more heavy bombing is coming.
There was no end in sight to the fighting. The Trump administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without “unconditional surrender” and US officials warned of a bombing campaign they say will intensify in the week-long conflict.
Iran’s UN ambassador said the country would “take all necessary measures” to defend itself.
Associated Press video showed explosions and smoke rising west of Tehran as Israel said it had launched a wave of strikes.
The US and Israel have hit Iran with strikes, targeting its military power, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals and timelines of the war have changed several times as the US has sometimes suggested that it wants to overthrow the Iranian government or install a new leadership from within.
The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six US soldiers were killed.
Also, early Saturday, incoming missiles from Iran had people going to bomb shelters across Israel and heavy bombs rang out in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Israeli emergency services.
Iran attacks Gulf States as fighting escalates
In a sign of the escalating conflict, sirens sounded early Saturday in Bahrain as an Iranian attack targeted the island kingdom. And Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones targeting its major Shaybah oil field and shot down a missile that was launched near the Prince Sultan Air Base, holding American troops.
In Dubai, several explosions were heard on Saturday morning and the government said it was on alert for air defense. Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport found themselves being ushered into the airport’s sprawling train tunnel after the warning sounded.
Later that morning, Emirates airline said “all flights to and from Dubai have been suspended until further notice.” Soon after, the decision was reversed and Emirates said the airline would resume operations.
An Iranian warship has docked in India
India’s foreign minister said on Saturday that an Iranian warship had docked in India.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the IRIS Lavan was docked in the southern city of Kochi after India gave permission when the vessel reported “difficulties” on Sunday. News agency Press Trust of India, citing unnamed “government sources”, reported that the ship had been in Kochi since Wednesday.
“I think it was a humane thing to do,” Jaishankar said.
A US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Another Iranian ship, the IRIS Bushehr, called for help from Sri Lanka, where more than 200 sailors were brought ashore.
The ships had taken part in naval exercises hosted by India, but Jaishankar said they were “caught on the wrong side of events” when the war broke out.
Qatar warns war could ‘collapse economy’
Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, warned in an interview with the Financial Times that the war “could bring down the global economy,” predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to $150 a barrel.
The price of a barrel of US benchmark crude rose above $90 on Friday for the first time in more than two years.
Writing for the Qatar-sponsored satellite news network Al Jazeera, a regional analyst warned Iran that it was making a “miscalculation of historical figures.”
Sultan al-Khulaifi, a senior researcher at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, wrote: “By spreading the conflict to the Gulf, Tehran is doing exactly what Israel could not do alone: moving the war away from the Israeli-Iranian axis and turning it into a conflict between Iran and its Arab neighbors.”
Al Jazeera, a Pan-Arab satellite news network owned and funded by the Qatari government, has been used in the past to reflect Doha’s views on regional affairs.
Clashes with Israeli forces are reported in eastern Lebanon
The terrorist group supported by Iran, Hezbollah, said that its soldiers encountered the Israeli army that arrived on Friday night in the mountains of eastern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said that Israeli airstrikes in the eastern city of Nabi Chit and nearby areas left 41 people dead and 40 injured. The Lebanese army said the dead included three of its soldiers. The area was the site of heavy clashes and airstrikes on Saturday night after Israeli troops arrived and clashed with local gunmen.
Israel has denied hostilities, and its military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes in areas south of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a large population but is also home to hundreds of thousands of people.
The Ministry of Health in Lebanon says that more than 200 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since Monday and more than 800 injured.
Hezbollah also issued a warning on Saturday for residents of the northern Israeli towns of Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya to evacuate immediately. Soon after, sirens sounded near Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona and Tiberias.
The Israeli army said it would not evacuate the Israelis, but would protect them by placing troops between the villages and Hezbollah, and would build up its presence in southern Lebanon where its soldiers are working.
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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Magdy from Cairo, Egypt. Associated Press reporters Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, and Aamer Madhani in Doral, Florida contributed reporting.
