Analysis: how should we interpret Pezeshkian’s statement?
Patrick Wintour
The announcement by Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian that Iran will no longer attack Gulf and neighbouring states if they are not attacking Iran appears on the surface a significant change in tactics, reflecting the overpowering diplomatic pressure Iran was under to change course, or risk uniting the whole of the Arab world against Iran. It would be an admission that Iran’s current military strategy is heading for diplomatic disaster.
But the precise implications of his announcement remains open to interpretation. An Iranian armed forces spokesperson seemed to qualify its meaning heavily by saying:
double quotation markStrikes against the US and Israeli assets will continue. So far, we have targeted every base that was the origin of aggression against Iran and we remain committed to this matter. Countries that have not provided space and facilities to the United States and the Zionist regime have not been our target so far and will not be targeted in the future.
If the armed forces believe countries simply providing land, in terms of bases, remain legitimate targets, then effectively nothing has changed since there are US bases in almost every Gulf State. What Pezeshkian seemed to imply is that these countries will not be attacked if the US bases and airspace are not being used to attack Iran, an altogether different proposition.
Whether this reflects an internal disagreement, a reinterpretation of the decision taken by Pezeshkian and other members of Iran’s temporary executive council or simply a more hardline way of explaining the political leadership’s decision, time will tell. It is a test of where power lies in Iran in wartime.
But it was significant too that Pezeshkian chose to apologise and to argue Iran wanted to be on the right side of international law. Many lawyers claimed Iran’s attacks on US bases in the region could be justified as acts of self-defence, but the wider attacks on Gulf infrastructure and oil installations could not.
If Pezeshkian’s promise is translated into reality then Iran hopes the path to reunite the region and the focus can shift back to what it regards as the injustice of the US attacks in the midst of diplomacy.
The pressure to relent has been coming from all the Gulf states, but notably countries that have tried to be close to Iran, including Oman, Turkey and Qatar. Some of the phone conversations have been said to be seething.
Updated at 05.23 EST
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Lebanon will pay ‘heavy price’ if Hezbollah attacks continue, says Israeli official
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon that it will pay a “heavy price” if Hezbollah continues to attack his country.
In a statement broadcast on Israeli television, and reported by the Times of Israel, Katz said Israel will not allow attacks on its troops or communities from Lebanese territory, saying that residents will not be evacuated.
In a message to Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, he said that if “the choice becomes protecting our civilians and the safety of our soldiers or Lebanon, we will choose to defend our civilians and our soldiers, and the government of Lebanon and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price”.
Moments earlier, Hezbollah ordered residents of Kiryat Shmona, a northern Israeli city near the border with Lebanon, to evacuate and head south.
It did not say what action, if any, it planned to take.
Katz has repeatedly urged Israelis in the north to remain in their homes, saying the military will protect them.
Updated at 07.21 EST
Summary of developments so far
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, apologised to neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran. He said Iran’s interim leadership council had approved stopping attacks or missile strikes against neighbouring countries unless an attack against Iran originated from those countries.
US president Donald Trump vowed Iran “will be hit very hard” today. He said the US would target “areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time’, without elaborating.
Trump said Iran has “surrendered to its Middle East neighbours, and promised that it will not shoot at them any more”. He argued this was only made possible “because of the relentless US and Israeli attack”.
Pezeshkian said a demand by the US for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should to take to their grave”. Trump said that only Iran’s “unconditional surrender” would bring an end to the offensive launched a week ago.
Dubai airport has partially resumed services after reports of a nearby explosion. Emirates had initially announced that it would suspend flights to and from the airport but later said it was resuming operations today. News agencies on the ground reported several blasts were heard and the alert sounded.
Lebanese media reported that at least 26 people were killed, including three Lebanese soldiers, during an overnight clash with Israeli forces in the eastern Bekaa valley. Hezbollah said it was involved in the fighting in the town of Nabi Chit, where Israeli commando unit was reportedly deployed to the area by helicopter and confronted by local residents and armed fighters.
The Israeli military said its special forces carried out a raid in Lebanon to locate the remains of Lt Col Ron Arad, a navigator on an Israeli jet whose plane went down in southern Lebanon in 1986. The operation was unsuccesful, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, adding that there had been no Israeli casualties.
Iran and Lebanon continued to come under heavy Israeli strikes. The Israeli military said more than 80 fighter jets struck “key Iranian regime military infrastructure” in Tehran and central Iran today. Israeli warplanes also hammered Beirut after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the city’s southern suburbs.
ShareTrump: ‘Today Iran will be hit very hard’
US president Donald Trump said Iran “will be hit very hard” today as he responded to the Iranian president’s apology to neighbouring countries.
In a post on Truth Social, he said Iran had “surrendered to its Middle East neighbours, and promised that it will not shoot at them any more”, and argued this was only made possible “because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack”.
He wrote:
double quotation markIran, 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. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
As reported earlier, the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said in a pre-recorded message that Iran’s interim leadership council had approved stopping attacks on neighbouring countries, unless an attack on Iran originated from those countries.
SharePictures: Explosion near Dubai airport
We have some pictures from the newswires of the explosions reported near Dubai airport today, forcing the suspension of flights.
Shows smoke rising from the Dubai International Airport. The world’s busiest for international traffic suspended operations before partially resuming services. Photograph: UGC/ANONYMOUS/AFP/Getty Images
Emirates airline announced on social media this morning that it had suspended flights to and from Dubai, but it has since deleted that post and said it has resumed operations. This was followed by a statement by Dubai airport confirming it has partially resumed services. Neither statements mentioned any attacks but said they were monitoring the situation to ensure safety for passengers and staff.
The Associated Press news agency reported that passengers at the airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, were ushered down into train tunnels as several blasts were heard and the alert sounded.
Earlier, the UAE government said operations at Dubai’s main airport had been suspended after the aerial interception of an object near the airport, the AFP news agency reported.
Shows smoke rising from the Dubai International Airport.
Photograph: UGC/ANONYMOUS/AFP/Getty ImagesShareIran army says it respects neighbours’ sovereignty but will target US-Israel bases in response to attacks
The Iranian armed forces said it “respect the interests and national sovereignty of neighbouring countries” and has not carried out attacks against them, according to state media.
It follows a statement from the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, apologising to neighbouring countries “that were attacked by Iran”. He said Iran’s interim leadership council had approved stopping attacks or missile strikes against neighbouring countries unless an attack against Iran originated from there.
In a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, the Khatam-al Anbiya central headquarters, which coordinates the army and IRGC, said Iran’s armed forces “reiterated that they respect the interests and national sovereignty of neighbouring states and have not taken any hostile action against them”.
It added: “However, the headquarters added that in continuation of previous offensive actions, all military bases and interests belonging to the United States and the “Zionist regime” on land, at sea, and in space across the region will be considered primary targets of powerful strikes by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Updated at 06.18 EST
IDF: Forces carried out raid in Lebanon to locate remains of Israeli soldier Ron Arad
The Israeli military said its special forces carried out a raid in Lebanon to locate the remains of Lt Col Ron Arad, a navigator on an Israeli jet whose plane went down in southern Lebanon during a bombing raid in 1986.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) does not say where the raid took place, but Lebanese media reported earlier of a clash between armed fighters and Israeli troops in the town of Nabi Chit in the eastern Bekaa valley.
No findings relating to Arad were discovered during the operation, the IDF said, adding that there had been no Israeli casualties.
In a statement posted on X, the IDF said:
double quotation markAs part of the IDF’s activities in Lebanon, IDF special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate evidence related to missing navigator Ron Arad. There were no casualties among our forces.
No evidence related to him was found at the search site.
The IDF will continue to operate tirelessly, day and night, with a deep commitment to bringing all our sons, the fallen and the missing, home to Israel.
Updated at 05.56 EST
IRGC says it targeted al-Dhafra airbase in UAE in ‘massive strike’ – report
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its navy launched a “massive strike” on al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It claimed that a US satellite communication centre, early warning radars and fire control radars were targeted in the strike this morning.
The UAE has not commented on the report.
ShareHezbollah and Israeli troops clash on the ground in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley – report
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that at least 26 people were killed, including three Lebanese soldiers, during an overnight clash with Israeli forces in the town of Nabi Chit in the eastern Bekaa valley.
The news agency said an Israeli commando unit was spotted being deployed to the area by helicopter and confronted by local residents and armed fighters in Nabi Chit. A clash ensued with heavy gunfire and Israeli airstrikes, the agency reported.
Hezbollah commented earlier today that its fighters were involved, after they “observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction”.
After landing, advancing troops “were engaged by a group” of Hezbollah fighters as they reached the Nabi Chit cemetery, the group said.
The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley overnight, but it did not comment on reports of a helicopter landing or ground operation in Nabi Chit.
Pictures: Tehran and Beirut come under continued heavy Israeli strikes
Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran. Photograph: Naser Safarzadeh/ReutersA screengrab of a video shared on social media shows heavy fire and smoke in the direction of Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. Photograph: Social Media/ReutersAftermath of an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photograph: ReutersA man inspects damage buildings after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photograph: ReutersShareAnalysis: how should we interpret Pezeshkian’s statement?Patrick Wintour
The announcement by Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian that Iran will no longer attack Gulf and neighbouring states if they are not attacking Iran appears on the surface a significant change in tactics, reflecting the overpowering diplomatic pressure Iran was under to change course, or risk uniting the whole of the Arab world against Iran. It would be an admission that Iran’s current military strategy is heading for diplomatic disaster.
But the precise implications of his announcement remains open to interpretation. An Iranian armed forces spokesperson seemed to qualify its meaning heavily by saying:
double quotation markStrikes against the US and Israeli assets will continue. So far, we have targeted every base that was the origin of aggression against Iran and we remain committed to this matter. Countries that have not provided space and facilities to the United States and the Zionist regime have not been our target so far and will not be targeted in the future.
If the armed forces believe countries simply providing land, in terms of bases, remain legitimate targets, then effectively nothing has changed since there are US bases in almost every Gulf State. What Pezeshkian seemed to imply is that these countries will not be attacked if the US bases and airspace are not being used to attack Iran, an altogether different proposition.
Whether this reflects an internal disagreement, a reinterpretation of the decision taken by Pezeshkian and other members of Iran’s temporary executive council or simply a more hardline way of explaining the political leadership’s decision, time will tell. It is a test of where power lies in Iran in wartime.
But it was significant too that Pezeshkian chose to apologise and to argue Iran wanted to be on the right side of international law. Many lawyers claimed Iran’s attacks on US bases in the region could be justified as acts of self-defence, but the wider attacks on Gulf infrastructure and oil installations could not.
If Pezeshkian’s promise is translated into reality then Iran hopes the path to reunite the region and the focus can shift back to what it regards as the injustice of the US attacks in the midst of diplomacy.
The pressure to relent has been coming from all the Gulf states, but notably countries that have tried to be close to Iran, including Oman, Turkey and Qatar. Some of the phone conversations have been said to be seething.
Updated at 05.23 EST
Houthi official says Iran-backed militia ready to join war – report
The New York Times has reported a Houthi official as saying the Iran-backed milita in Yemen is ready to join the war.
“The expansion of the conflict to include other countries, including Yemen, is only a matter of time, and our hands are on the trigger,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement’s political bureau, told the newspaper.
“Ultimately, the United States will be the biggest loser in this trajectory.”
ShareSenior Tory MP defends Badenoch after ‘hanging around’ comment
In the UK, a senior Conservative MP has defended party leader Kemi Badenoch after she was criticised for suggesting the British military had been “just hanging around” in the Middle East as the Iran crises deepens.
“I don’t think she has anything to apologise for at all,” Andrew Mitchell, a Conservative MP and former deputy foreign secretary, told Times Radio.
He said Badenoch had been making the point that ministers were too slow to offer support to allies.
Badenoch made the remark on BBC Breakfast yesterday, when she was asked whether she supported firing on Iranian missile launch sites. She responded: “What else are our jets doing, just hanging around there?”
Defence secretary John Healey called on her to apologise, saying it “insults the men and women of our armed forces”.
Mitchell said: “I think she was making a point that … British ministers were slow off the mark, and should have been much quicker to support the countries in the region with whom we have very deep and close relationships.”
Updated at 05.03 EST
Dubai airport ‘partially’ resumes operations
Following a statement from Emirates that it will resume operations, Dubai airport said it was partially resuming services.
“We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC,” it posted on social media, referring to Dubai’s main airport and Al Maktoum airport south-west of the city (which is also known as Dubai World Central).
“Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change.”
Updated at 04.17 EST
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it has begun “a broad wave of attacks” against what it described as infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime in Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan.
Earlier, the IDF said more than 80 air force fighter jets struck “key Iranian regime military infrastructure” in Tehran and central Iran overnight.