Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran has decided not to attack or fire missiles at targets in neighboring countries from now on unless it is targeted from those countries.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a televised message carried by state-run IRIB TV while stressing that the decision was made by Iran's interim leadership council and that the Iranian armed forces have been notified of it.

The announcement marks a notable shift in Iran's military posture amid the ongoing conflict that erupted following joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, which prompted Iran's retaliatory strikes targeting US assets in the Gulf and across the wider Middle East.

Iran has repeatedly defended its strikes as self-defense against US-Israeli aggression, insisting it respects neighboring states' sovereignty and is directing attacks at US assets rather than the host nations.

"I apologize to neighboring countries," Pezeshkian said in his televised statement.

This latest decision by the interim council, formed after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, appears aimed at limiting the war's regional spillover and reassuring Gulf states amid widespread concern over civilian casualties, infrastructure damage and disruptions like airspace closures and threats to the Strait of Hormuz.

Pezeshkian's remarks highlight an effort to project restraint and openness to diplomacy, even as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) signaled Iran's readiness for a prolonged war. 

On Friday, the Iranian president said unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts to end the war, stressing Tehran's preference for lasting regional peace while insisting any talks must address those who "started the conflict."

But US President Donald Trump responded firmly, saying, "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"