Iran Signals Halt To Attacks On Neighbouring States Amid Middle East Escalation

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) --  Iran has announced it will halt attacks on neighbouring countries unless strikes are launched against it from their territory as tensions in the Middle East entered its eight day on Saturday.

According to Anadolu Ajansi, citing Iran’s state-run Press TV, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would refrain from attacking neighbouring states unless attacks originate from those countries against Iran.

“The temporary leadership council announced yesterday that there will be no more attacks on neighbouring countries and no missile launches unless attacks originate from those countries against Iran,” he said in a televised address to the Iranian people on Saturday.

Pezeshkian also apologised to neighbouring countries amid rising regional tensions, saying Iran has “no intention of invading other countries”.

However, he dismissed expectations that Iran would surrender unconditionally, saying those who harbour such hopes “will take their dreams to the grave”.

Iran has also denied reports that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supplies passes.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh also said during an international conference in New Delhi that Tehran had not closed the waterway and had no immediate plan to do so, adding that any decision to close the strait would be officially announced.

Iran’s state television also reported that the strait remains open, although a military source warned that vessels belonging to the United States or Israel could be considered military targets.

The latest developments follow a major escalation on Feb 28 when Israel and the US launched attacks on Iran. In response, Tehran strikes Israel and multiple locations in Gulf countries hosting United States military assets.

Military exchanges and air defence interceptions continue across the Middle East since.

Some of the attacks caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including ports and residential buildings, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Tehran said the strikes were in response to a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that killed hundreds of people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials.

Meanwhile, the United States (US) Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have struck more than 3,000 targets in Iran during the first week of its military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury.

Across the Gulf region, several countries reported major air defence actions as they intercepted drones and ballistic missiles launched from Iran.

Saudi Arabia said its air defence systems destroyed 23 drones and three ballistic missiles.

Qatar reported neutralising nine out of ten Iranian attack drones.

Kuwait’s Armed Forces also intercepted 12 drones and 14 missiles, with explosions heard across the country attributed to its air defence systems. Authorities said the incidents resulted only in material damage caused by falling shrapnel.

Elsewhere, four drones were shot down over the city of Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Service said coalition forces intercepted the drones over the regional capital, with debris from one drone falling near a hotel without causing casualties or material damage.

In Lebanon, at least 16 people were killed and 35 others injured in Israeli airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley in the country’s east, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The strikes targeted the town of Nabi Chit in Baalbek, while clashes were also reported along the eastern mountain range near the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Meanwhile, the United States has continued to reinforce its military presence in the region.

The US Naval Institute reported that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has arrived in the Red Sea after transiting the Suez Canal alongside the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge.

With its arrival, the United States now has two aircraft carriers operating in nearby waters, with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group currently deployed in the Arabian Sea.

The US is also preparing to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the region.

According to Anadolu Ajansi, the US Navy’s USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier has completed preparations to depart for the eastern Mediterranean after finalising readiness exercises off the coast of North Carolina’s Hatteras Island.

The carrier, which carries dozens of strike aircraft, is expected to be accompanied by several guided-missile destroyers.

If deployed, it would join the USS Gerald R. Ford operating in the Red Sea and the USS Abraham Lincoln currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman.

The escalating conflict has also disrupted travel and prompted evacuation efforts by several countries.

Malaysia has begun organising evacuation arrangements for its citizens in the region.

Malaysia’s Ambassador to Qatar Mohd Faizal Razali said 323 Malaysians in Qatar have registered to participate in a voluntary evacuation exercise organised by the Malaysian government so far.

The plan involves transporting evacuees by bus from Doha to the Abu Samra border crossing before entering Saudi Arabia via the Salwa border and continuing the journey to Riyadh.

From there, special flights to Kuala Lumpur are expected to depart early next week.

Meanwhile, South Korea is arranging a 290-seat Etihad Airways charter flight from Abu Dhabi on Sunday to evacuate its citizens from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yonhap News Agency reported.

The South Korean government said about 3,000 of its nationals remain stranded in the UAE due to flight disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict.

-- BERNAMA