Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed his country’s neighbors Wednesday evening, saying that Israeli and U.S. “aggression” had left Tehran no choice and that it was forced to defend itself, an apparent attempt to justify Iranian fire toward neighboring states. “We respect your sovereignty,” he wrote on X.
“We sought, through diplomacy, to prevent war, but the American-Israeli military aggression left us no choice but to defend ourselves,” Pezeshkian said in a message to Iran’s “friendly neighbors.”
Interception in the skies over Doha
“We respect your sovereignty and believe that security and stability in the region must be achieved through joint efforts,” he added in the post, on the fifth day of the war.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also sought to reassure the Islamic Republic’s neighboring countries. “We inform friendly and neighboring states that our missile and drone capabilities are intended solely for legitimate defense against aggressors from Israel and the United States," he said. Ghalibaf said he hoped for a return to “days of cooperation and friendship.”
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed his country’s neighbors
(Photo: IRIB/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS)
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. During the conversation, Araghchi said the Iranian missile fire toward Qatar was aimed at American targets, not at the Qatari state. Al Thani firmly rejected the claim.
The Qatari prime minister stressed that facts on the ground show the attacks targeted civilian areas and residential neighborhoods in Qatar — including Hamad International Airport, vital infrastructure and industrial zones, such as liquefied natural gas production facilities — constituting a violation of Qatari sovereignty.
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Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
(Photo: Mehmet Guzel/AP; Miriam Alster/Flash90; Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)
Al Thani added that the Iranian attacks were not limited to missile fire but also included drone strikes, as well as aircraft that entered Qatari airspace and were intercepted by Qatari forces. According to Qatar, Iran’s actions signal that Tehran seeks escalation rather than a genuine effort to calm tensions or find a solution. During the call, Al Thani accused Tehran of attempting “to harm its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs.”
First published: 19:32, 03.04.26