Iranian President Admits Commanders Killed, Apologizes to Neighboring Countries

Iranwire – On the eighth day of the war, Saturday, March 7, President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a televised message apologizing to neighboring countries targeted by Iranian military strikes. He stated that in the absence of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military commanders, certain groups acted “at will.”

Pezeshkian stated:

“I must personally apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran. Our commanders and our Leader have lost their lives. In the absence of the commanders, [forces] acting at their own discretion carried out the actions they deemed necessary. We have no intention of aggression against our neighbors.”

This acknowledgment of commanders being killed and of the armed forces carrying out “at-will” operations is the first time such information has been publicly confirmed at this level. However, the government has not yet revealed the identities of the commanders who were killed in the conflict.

The Iranian president further noted that the “Temporary Leadership Council” issued an order yesterday to the armed forces stating that they must not attack neighboring countries “unless an attack is launched against us from that country.” Pezeshkian claimed that even in such a scenario, action should be taken through “diplomacy.”

Addressing opposition groups and forces, he warned them not to become “puppets of imperialism” by aligning with the United States and Israel, adding: “It is better that we resolve our differences together.”

These remarks come even though, throughout the Islamic Republic’s 47 years in power, the ruling system has largely responded to dissent with suppression.

In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the only way to end the war is the “unconditional surrender” of the Islamic Republic, Pezeshkian remarked: “They will take the dream of our unconditional surrender to the grave.”

This televised message was broadcast as the regional conflict continues to intensify.