Iran will not allow "enemies" to seize its territory: president

TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Iranians would not allow the "enemies" to seize even a single inch of the country's territory, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi in Tehran while outlining Iran's position on the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Referring to his remarks on Saturday in which he apologized to neighboring countries and said attacks against them would stop, Pezeshkian said the "enemies" had misinterpreted his comments and were seeking to sow discord between Iran and its neighbors.

He stressed that Iran has repeatedly emphasized its "good and brotherly" relations with neighboring countries, adding that if the United States or Israel launch attacks on Iran from the territory of other states, Iran would inevitably respond, but such a response would not mean Iran has disputes with those countries or their people.

"We are concerned about the dear peoples who have been affected by the regional tensions, and we apologize to them," Pezeshkian said.

He added that despite the current challenges facing the country, Iranians would stand against their enemies and "will not allow them to seize even a single inch of our country's soil."

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with several senior military commanders and civilians. Iran later launched multiple waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and U.S. bases in the Middle East.

The conflict has had broader regional repercussions, raising concerns about disruptions to oil exports and global energy markets.

In a post on social media platform X on Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the continuation of the war could severely disrupt oil production and exports in the West Asia region.

He also criticized remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that oil prices would not surge sharply, saying the rise in prices had already contradicted those claims.

Ghalibaf added that if the war continues, oil exports and production in the region could be severely affected, warning that not only U.S. interests but also those of other countries could be harmed by what he called the "delusions" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Enditem