Iranian political and media figures criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday after he apologized for what he called “fire at will” attacks by the country’s armed forces on neighboring countries and instructed them to stop such attacks.
In a video message published earlier in the day, Pezeshkian said authorities had ordered the armed forces to halt missile strikes on neighboring countries unless attacks originate from their territory.
“The temporary leadership council approved yesterday that neighboring countries should no longer be targeted and missiles should not be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries,” Pezeshkian said.
“The armed forces have so far acted with a kind of ‘fire at will’ authority, but they have now been notified that from now on they must not attack neighboring countries or target them with missiles,” he said, adding that he “apologizes personally” over the matter.
Lawmakers push back
Mohammad Manan Raeisi, a lawmaker representing Qom, described the remarks as “humiliating” and said they showed the Assembly of Experts should quickly move to select a new leader.
“Did neighboring countries not place their land, assets and hotels at the disposal of our enemies? Should our military not have struck those bases and assets of the enemy that you are now apologizing for so humbly?” Raeisi wrote.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, wrote on X that all US and Israeli bases in the region were “legitimate and lawful targets” in the ongoing conflict.
“The Islamic Republic has no red line in defending national interests. This battle continues,” Azizi wrote.
Media figures question message
Ezzatollah Zarghami, a former culture minister and ex-head of state broadcasting, wrote that the remarks created confusion about the conduct of the war.
“We did not understand what happened. But neither did the armed forces act on a fire at will basis, nor can the regional war mentioned by the ‘martyred imam’ be interpreted in different ways,” Zarghami wrote.
Meisam Nili, a conservative media activist, also criticized the comments.
“Why retreat from the military strategy of the ‘martyred imam’ when we are on the verge of selecting a new leader? Any ceasefire is treason,” Nili wrote.
Former lawmaker Jalal Rashidi Koochi also criticized the president’s message, saying it showed weakness.
“An apology happens when a mistake has occurred. We made no mistake. Your message showed no sign of authority,” Rashidi Koochi wrote.
Pezeshkian’s remarks came as explosions were reported on Saturday at Dubai International Airport and loud blasts were heard in Abu Dhabi, according to multiple reports.
Trump comments
US President Donald Trump said after Pezeshkian remarks that Iran had apologized to its Middle East neighbors and promised it would not fire missiles at them anymore.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran made that promise only because of what he called relentless US and Israeli attacks.
“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. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
Trump also warned that Iran could face further strikes.
Iran, he added, would be “hit very hard” on Saturday and said additional areas and groups of people were under consideration for targeting, citing what he described as Iran’s “bad behavior.”
