We Had ‘No Choice’ But To Respond To Attacks – Iranian President

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told neighbouring Gulf countries that Iran had “no choice” but to respond to US and Israeli attacks.

After the US and Israel launched a campaign of strikes on Iran on 28 February, Iran has responded by firing hundreds of missiles and drones at its Arab neighbours.

This has included targeting US military bases and civilian and energy infrastructure in Gulf states – including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian tells the neighbouring countries that Iran has strived “with your assistance” to avoid a war.

But, he added, that the US-Israel attacks left Iran with “no choice but to defend ourselves”.

The Iranian president said he respects the sovereignty of his neighbours and that he believes peace in the region “must be ensured by the countries of the region”.

Meanwhile Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani has warned US President Donald Trump the death of Ayatollah Khamenei “will exact a heavy price from you”, after the Iranian leader was killed in the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

In a post on X, Larijani said Trump “has dragged the American people into an unjust war with Iran”, after being “swayed” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “clowinsh antics”.

“Does America still come first – or Israel?” he asks.

As a reminder, the US and Israel launched widespread strikes on Iran on 28 February, and have since continued to target sites across the country.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US knew there was going to be Israeli action, which meant the US had to act “pre-emptively” in the face of expected Iranian attacks on American forces.