Iran Says Gulf States Will No Longer Be Targeted Unless Attack Is Detected
Iran apologizes to Gulf states and shifts military policy amid regional conflict and leadership changes.
Iran’s president said the country’s armed forces have been instructed to stop attacking neighbouring Gulf states unless attacks against Iran are launched from their territory, signalling a potential shift in Tehran’s military posture amid the ongoing regional conflict.
In a televised address, Masoud Pezeshkian said the decision had been approved by Iran’s interim leadership council and communicated to military forces on Friday.
“The interim council approved a decision yesterday, that decision was relayed to our forces that they should no longer attack neighbouring countries unless there is an attack on Iran staged from their territory,” he said.
Apology to Gulf neighbours
Pezeshkian also apologised to neighbouring countries that have been hit by Iranian strikes during the conflict.
“I need to apologise on behalf of myself to the neighbouring countries that have come under attack by Iran because of the vicious assault on us,” he said.
“We lost our supreme leader, our compatriots and loved ones. Our armed forces, when their commanders were gone, conducted the operations that were necessary and protected our country with strength.”
He added that Tehran did not intend to target its neighbours and described Gulf states as “brothers.”
“We do not intend to conduct an assault on neighbouring countries. Like I have said before, they are our brothers. We have to be hand in hand with our brothers in peace.”
Doubts over military compliance
Despite the announcement, questions remain over whether Iran’s military forces will fully comply with the directive.
Dozens of attacks have reportedly struck Gulf states since Friday, including attempted strikes on a Saudi oilfield near the UAE border on Saturday morning.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, previously said Tehran is operating under its long-standing “mosaic defence” doctrine — a decentralised strategy that allows regional commanders to make independent battlefield decisions if central leadership is disrupted.
The doctrine was designed for scenarios in which top commanders are killed or communications are compromised, enabling local military units to act autonomously.
Interim leadership council issues first directive
The statement marks the first public directive issued by Iran’s interim leadership council, formed after the death of Ali Khamenei.
The three-member council includes Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei and senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
However, analysts say the decentralised command structure — particularly within the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — could limit the political leadership’s ability to fully control military operations.
Regional tensions continue
Iran launched missile and drone strikes on military, civilian and energy infrastructure across several Gulf states shortly after the United States and Israel began their military campaign last week, claiming it was targeting American assets stationed in the region.
Meanwhile, regional security discussions are intensifying. Saudi Arabia’s defence minister Khalid bin Salman recently met Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir to discuss Iran’s attacks on the kingdom and possible responses under a joint strategic defence agreement.
Although Iranian missile and drone attacks have reportedly declined since the start of the war, tensions remain high as Washington — under President Donald Trump — continues airstrikes targeting Iran’s launch facilities.
Analysts say Tehran may have hoped that expanding the conflict to Gulf states would increase regional pressure on Washington to halt the campaign — a strategy that has so far failed to achieve its intended effect.