Dubai
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday rejected US demands for Tehran’s unconditional surrender while apologizing for missile attacks on neighbouring Gulf states, in a rare acknowledgment of operational breakdowns inside Iran’s military as the war with the United States and Israel intensified.
In a prerecorded address broadcast on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian dismissed Washington’s ultimatum as unrealistic.
“The idea that Iran would surrender unconditionally is a dream that they should take to their grave,” he said.
But the president also struck a conciliatory tone toward Gulf nations that have been hit by Iranian missiles and drones in recent days, saying Tehran would halt attacks on neighbouring countries unless they were used as launch points for strikes against Iran.
“I should apologize to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” Pezeshkian said. “From now on they should not be attacked unless Iran itself is attacked from those countries.”
Command disruption after leadership strikes
Pezeshkian suggested the recent attacks on Gulf states may have been the result of miscommunication within Iran’s military command structure after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials in the early stages of the conflict.
The war erupted on February 28 following coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military, nuclear and leadership targets.
The Iranian president said the country’s three-member leadership council had now restored communication with military commanders and was attempting to regain operational control.
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — which has led much of the military response — traditionally answers directly to the supreme leader, raising concerns about fragmented command following Khamenei’s death.
War spreads across Gulf states
Despite the conciliatory message, Iranian attacks across the Gulf continued early Saturday.
Sirens sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia intercepted drones headed toward the Shaybah oil field, and a ballistic missile targeting Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces, was shot down, Saudi authorities said.
In Dubai, multiple explosions were heard as air defenses were activated. Passengers inside Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international travel, were escorted into underground train tunnels after alerts sounded.
Dubai-based carrier Emirates initially suspended all flights to and from the emirate before later announcing that operations would gradually resume, drawing cheers from stranded passengers sheltering in the terminal.
Authorities have not confirmed whether an incoming missile was intercepted near the airport or if any damage occurred.
US warns bigger strikes are coming
The conflict shows no sign of easing.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has approved a $151 million arms package for Israel, while US officials warned that the largest bombing campaign of the war may still lie ahead.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the conflict had yet to begin.
Washington and Tel Aviv have been targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, naval assets and nuclear program, though US officials have also hinted that the campaign could ultimately reshape Iran’s leadership.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said Tehran would take “all necessary measures” to defend the country.
Rising casualties and regional spillover
The war has already taken a heavy human toll.
Officials say at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, while Israeli authorities report around a dozen fatalities from Iranian missile attacks. In Lebanon, where Israel is also battling Iran-backed Hezbollah forces, more than 200 people have died and hundreds have been wounded.
Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly targeted Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in eastern Lebanon.
Energy markets and global economy on edge
Beyond the battlefield, the war is increasingly rattling global markets.
Oil prices surged above $90 a barrel, the highest level in more than two years, amid fears that attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure could disrupt global supplies.
Qatar’s energy minister Saad Al-Kaabi warned that the conflict could trigger a massive shutdown of Gulf energy exports and potentially drive crude prices as high as $150 per barrel.
“Such a disruption could bring down the economies of the world,” he told the Financial Times.
Diplomatic pressure grows
Regional leaders are scrambling to prevent further escalation.
Saudi Arabia’s defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh to discuss coordinated responses to Iranian attacks.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan maintain a mutual defence agreement that treats an attack on either country as an attack on both.
Analysts warn that by extending strikes to Gulf states, Iran risks transforming what began as a confrontation with Israel into a wider regional war involving Arab neighbours.
“By spreading the conflict to the Gulf, Tehran risks turning this into a confrontation between Iran and the Arab world,” wrote Sultan Al-Khulaifi, a researcher at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies.
As the conflict enters its second week, the prospect of a diplomatic exit remains uncertain — even as the war increasingly threatens global energy markets, aviation networks and regional security.
