Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that the country’s neighbors will not be targeted unless attacks originate from their territory during the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States.

“The interim leadership council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighboring countries and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television.

In the same address, he apologized for attacks that had impacted neighboring states during the conflict. “I apologize… to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran,” Pezeshkian said, reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to avoiding further escalation beyond its borders.

He also issued a stern warning to Iran’s adversaries, declaring that those demanding the “unconditional surrender of the Iranian people must take their wish… to their graves,” and stressed that Iran would never surrender to Israel or the United States as the war entered its second week.

The interim leadership council has been directing Iran since U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week, an event that has fueled a broader Middle East war.

Meanwhile, Iran confirmed that a new supreme leader will be chosen according to its constitutional process and “without any foreign interference,” as the war entered its second week amid uncertainty over when hostilities might end. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani emphasized that the decision would be made “solely by the will of the Iranian people.”

The announcement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” and suggested that Washington should have a role in selecting the next Iranian leader. Trump’s remarks followed Pezeshkian’s social media statements indicating that unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, briefly raising hopes of a diplomatic resolution.

“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he added.

War spreads in Gulf and Lebanon

Trump’s shifting explanations of his war aims have raised the prospect of a prolonged conflict that has already spilled beyond Iran’s borders, disrupted global markets, and sent oil prices soaring. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and several Gulf states hosting U.S. military installations.

According to Iravani, U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands. Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel, while at least six U.S. service members have died. Early on Saturday, missiles were seen heading toward Israel as the Israeli military intercepted incoming fire. Shortly afterward, Israel launched strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran and Iranian-linked positions in Lebanon.

Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport was struck, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency. Israel also intensified strikes in Lebanon after evacuating the southern suburbs of Beirut. The bombing aims to target Hezbollah, the Shi’ite militia that has dominated Lebanese politics since the 1980s. Hezbollah fired on Israel in retaliation following Khamenei’s death.

Civilians have been severely affected. “We’re sleeping here in the streets—some in cars, some on the street, some on the beach,” said Jamal Seifeddin, 43, who fled Beirut’s southern suburbs. Around 300,000 people have been displaced, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. Lebanese authorities report 123 dead and 683 wounded from Israeli strikes.

European and U.S. stock markets fell, and oil prices hit multi-year highs, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed. About one-fifth of global daily oil shipments pass through the strait. Washington said it would provide reinsurance for losses up to $20 billion in the Gulf to support oil and gas shippers, and Trump indicated the U.S. Navy could escort ships in the region. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded that Tehran “welcomes” any U.S. presence, and Russia is reportedly supplying Iran with intelligence on U.S. military movements.

US military and defense measures

Iran has described the conflict as an unprovoked attack and Khamenei’s killing as an assassination. The Trump administration is accelerating weapons production as stockpiles deplete. On Friday, Trump met with executives from seven defense contractors to speed up production. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. has sufficient weapons for the campaign, expected to last four to six weeks.

The State Department approved $151.8 million in munitions sales to Israel, bypassing the usual congressional review, citing an emergency. U.S. military investigators are examining a strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed dozens on the first day of the war. Officials told Reuters it is likely U.S. forces were responsible, though a final conclusion has not been reached.