Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 21. Reuters-Yonhap
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's president apologized Saturday for attacks on regional countries even as its missiles and drones flew toward Gulf Arab states, suggesting Tehran's political leadership could not exercise full command over the Islamic Republic's armed forces as intense U.S.-Israeli airstrikes rocked the nation, marking one week of the war.
The message from President Masoud Pezeshkian, one member of a tripartite leadership council overseeing Iran since a Feb. 28 airstrike starting the war killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, again underlined the limited powers being exercised by the theocracy's leaders over its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard, which controls the ballistic missiles targeting Israel and others, answered only to Khamenei and appears to be picking its own targets as the conflict widens.
Pezeshkian's message, seemingly filmed in a hurry without professional broadcast equipment, appeared aimed at assuaging growing Gulf Arab anger over the attacks. But Pezeshkian suggested an order to stop attacks came Friday, hours before a wave of attacks disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, targeting a major Saudi oil facility and sending people fleeing for cover multiple times in Bahrain.
But Pezeshkian kept up his criticism of the United States, particularly of President Donald Trump's repeated demand Iran unconditionally surrender to America.
“That's a dream that they should take to their grave," he said.
Miscommunication among Iran’s ranks
Pezeshkian’s statement Saturday said the country’s three-man leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks.
“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”
US says more intense bombing lies ahead
Source: Korea Times News
