TEHRAN, March 7 (Reuters) - Iran has ordered its armed forces to stop carrying out missile and drone attacks against neighboring countries unless those nations allow their territory to be used for strikes against the Islamic Republic, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday.
In a televised address carried by state-run media, Pezeshkian said an interim leadership council approved the policy shift on Friday . The directive applies to all neighboring states and marks a formal change in Tehran's military posture after days of cross-border strikes linked to the widening conflict with Israel and the United States.
“The temporary 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 .
The president apologized directly to regional countries that have been hit during recent retaliatory operations. “I apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran,” he said, adding that Tehran has “no intention of invading other countries” .
Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf states on Feb. 28 after U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military commanders . Those attacks caused casualties and damaged civilian sites including ports and residential buildings, according to officials in affected countries .
Azerbaijani media reported Friday that security services had disrupted plots allegedly involving Iranian operatives, including plans to target the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline, Israel's embassy in Baku, and Jewish community sites . Reports said three explosive devices were smuggled into the country and later neutralized. The developments came one day after an Iranian drone strike wounded four people in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region, an attack Iranian officials denied responsibility for .
Pezeshkian said the armed forces had previously operated with “fire at will” authority but have now been formally notified of the restriction . He warned regional states not to become “playthings of imperialism” by allowing their soil to be used for attacks on Iran .
The conditional pledge follows demands from U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran's “unconditional surrender.” In a post on his Truth Social platform Friday, Trump wrote: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and suggested the U.S. and its allies would help select new leadership afterward .
Pezeshkian rejected that demand directly. “They will take that dream to the grave if they think we will surrender unconditionally,” he said .
The interim leadership council has been guiding Iran since Khamenei's death triggered a broader regional escalation now entering its second week. Iranian officials say a new supreme leader will be chosen according to the country's constitutional process “without any foreign interference” .
Civilians across the region have been caught in the crossfire. The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates about 300,000 people have been displaced, and Lebanese authorities report 123 dead and 683 wounded from Israeli strikes . An Iranian girls' school was hit on the first day of the war, killing dozens. U.S. military investigators say it is likely U.S. forces were responsible, though a final conclusion has not been reached .
Oil markets have reacted sharply to the conflict. About one-fifth of global daily oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has become effectively closed to normal traffic . Washington said it would provide reinsurance for losses up to $20 billion in the Gulf to support shipping, and Trump indicated the U.S. Navy could escort vessels in the region . Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded that Tehran “welcomes” any U.S. presence .
The policy announced Saturday aims to reassure Gulf states and other neighbors that they will not be targeted in future retaliatory waves provided they remain neutral . But the pledge is strictly conditional, drawing a clear red line for any nation hosting U.S. or Israeli military assets .