Middle East Updates: Iran President Says Strikes Targeted US Bases, Not Neighboring Arab Countries

Udaipur Mar 08, 2026: Iranian President  Masoud Pezeshkian has issued another statement clarifying Iran’s recent military actions in the region, hours after reports emerged that he had offered an apology to neighboring Arab countries over attacks that were believed to have targeted them.

According to widely circulated reports, the Iranian President earlier stated that Iran had no intention of targeting neighboring countries and assured that such attacks would stop unless any aggression originated from those states.

However, reports of drone attacks in Dubai and parts of Saudi Arabia surfaced shortly after the statement. This is also being seen as an attempt to pacify the outrage among the Gulf countries on the attacks by Iran.

In his new statement, the President said that the attacks were targetted at Amerian bases and facilities across the region, which Iran considers as legitimate targets in the course of the ongoing conflict which began with a joint US Israel attack on Iran. This new statement is suggesting damage control made by the initial apology.

"We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries; rather, we have targeted U.S. military bases, facilities, and installations in the region" - Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian Twitter (X) Account (Translated from Persian)

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized the preservation and continuation of friendly relations with the governments of the region based on good neighborliness and mutual respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This does not negate Iran's inherent right to defend itself against military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime." - Iran President  Masoud Pezeshkian Twitter (X) Account (Translated from Persian)

Meanwhile, the Chief of Iran's judiciary Ghulam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said that the armed forces will continue to carry out attacks against the US and Israel military assets in the region, which Iran claims are being used to facilitate acts of aggression against Iran. He added that Iranian intelligence show that "geography of some of these neighbouring countries is overtly and covertly controlled by the enemy and those sites are being used against our country", in support of the continued aggression. "However, this is a basic issue and a fixed principle - Iran will never harm anyone that has not attacked us" - he reiterated, as per media reports in the Iranian media.

"We stand firm to the last breath in defense of our country and resist. Iran's defensive operations are exclusively against targets and facilities that are the origin and source of aggressive actions against the Iranian nation, and we consider them legitimate targets" - Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian Twitter (X) Account (Translated from Persian)