Trump ‘kills’ Iran’s Gulf de-escalation move: FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused US President Donald Trump of ending Tehran’s pledge not to target neighboring countries after Washington used regional bases to carry out attacks against Iran.

In a statement published Saturday on

However, he added that this gesture was quickly undermined by Washington’s actions.

“President Pezeshkian’s openness to de-escalation in our region – provided that our neighbors’ airspace, territory and waters are not used to attack the Iranian people – was almost immediately killed by President Trump’s misinterpretation of our capabilities, resolve and intentions. If Mr. Trump seeks escalation, that is precisely what our mighty armed forces have long prepared for and what he will get.”

He said the responsibility for any intensification of Iran’s self-defense exercise would fall squarely with the US administration.

“Mr. Trump’s week-long misadventure has already cost the U.S. military $100 billion, in addition to the lives of young soldiers. When the markets reopen, this cost will increase and be passed directly to ordinary Americans at the pumping stations,” the statement said.

“Mr. Trump’s National Intelligence Council, which represents the input of all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, has determined that the war against Iran is doomed to failure.”

“I also warned Mr. Trump’s envoys that war would not improve their negotiating position. Were these warnings delivered?”

He emphasized that the American people had voted to end their involvement in costly quagmires in the Middle East. “Instead, they ended up with an administration that Netanyahu, after decades of failed attempts, was finally able to dupe into waging Israel’s wars.”

“This is a war of choice waged by a small cabal of ‘Israel first,’ and ‘Israel first’ always means ‘America last,'” he added.

Larijani warns regional states

Meanwhile, senior national security official Ali Larijani warned regional countries against using their territory for attacks against Iran.

In a post on X, Larijani said Iran would continue to respond to attacks from bases in neighboring states.

“When the enemy attacks us from bases in the region, we respond – and we will continue to respond. It is our right and our standing policy. Countries in the region must either prevent the United States from using their territory against Iran, or we will have no choice but to do it ourselves.”

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that using regional bases for attacks risks widening the conflict and drawing neighboring countries directly into confrontation, as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.

Israel and Iran traded attacks on Saturday as the Middle East war entered its second week, while Tehran issued an unusual apology to neighboring states, apparently seeking to calm regional anger over Iranian strikes on civilian targets in the Gulf.

“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that have been affected by Iran’s actions,” Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said, urging them not to join U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

He called US President Donald Trump’s demand for an unconditional capitulation of the Islamic Republic a “dream” but said his interim leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on neighboring states unless strikes against Iran originated from their territory.

Trump nevertheless framed Iran’s apology as a capitulation, while saying the country would be “hit very hard” on Saturday and warning that the United States could expand its attacks to areas and groups of people not previously designated as targets.

Pezeshkian’s comments caused political unrest in Iran, prompting his office to reiterate that the Iranian military would respond strongly to attacks from U.S. bases in the region.

Radical cleric and lawmaker Hamid Rasai wrote on X: “Mr. Pezeshkian, your position was unprofessional, weak and unacceptable.” Hours after Pezeshkian’s announcement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their drones had struck a U.S. air combat center at Al Dhafra Air Base near the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi. Reuters was unable to independently verify this information.

The Revolutionary Guards also targeted US forces at a base in Bahrain, Iranian state media said. Explosions were also heard in Doha, a Reuters witness said.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, said evidence provided by Iran’s armed forces indicates that the territory of some regional countries was being used to carry out attacks against Iran.

Heavy strikes against these targets will continue, said Mohseni-Ejei, who is also a member of the interim leadership council set up after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on his compound early in the conflict.

Huge explosions were heard in several neighborhoods of the Iranian capital, state media reported.

Loud explosions were heard in Dubai, Qatar’s capital Doha, and Bahrain, while attacks were later reported in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, where the national oil company announced a “precautionary” cut in production.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a rare televised address that the Emirates was in “a period of war” and “will emerge stronger” from the war, which has entered its second week.

Earlier in the day, Dubai closed its main airport – the world’s busiest for international traffic – after authorities said an unidentified object was intercepted nearby. A witness told AFP of a loud explosion in the area followed by a cloud of smoke, while images authenticated by AFP recorded the sound of a drone followed by a loud explosion and plumes of smoke near an airport hall.

The government said there had been “a minor incident resulting from falling debris following an interception”, without directly mentioning the airport. There were no injuries.

Tracking website Flightradar24 earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.

In a since-deleted statement from X, Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, had announced it was suspending all flights to and from Dubai until further notice, but later said it had resumed operations.

The United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally and home to U.S. military installations, was the most targeted Gulf nation during the war.

The Defense Ministry said that of the 16 ballistic missiles fired at the country on Saturday, all but one were intercepted and that missile fell into the sea.

Of the 121 drones detected, 119 were shot down, while two fell on Emirati territory.

The barrage brings to 221 the number of ballistic missiles detected by the United Arab Emirates since the start of the war last Saturday, the Defense Ministry said, while the number of drones exceeds 1,300.

Iranian attacks have also hit Abu Dhabi airport, the upscale Palm Jumeirah resort and the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel over the past week, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the Gulf on Saturday, Qatar’s defense ministry said its military had intercepted two missile attacks targeting the country.

In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Defense announced that it had destroyed three ballistic missiles aimed at the Prince Sultan air base, which hosts American troops, as well as 17 drones above the Shaybah oil field in the southeast.

Kuwait also reported intercepting a drone, while the country’s national oil company announced a “precautionary” cut in crude production due to Iranian attacks and threats to the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for Gulf hydrocarbons.

Further north, Jordan has accused Iran of directly targeting sites in the kingdom, saying Tehran fired 119 missiles and drones last week.

“These missiles and drones targeted vital installations in Jordan and did not pass through our territories,” said military spokesman Brigadier General Mustafa Hayari.

Iran’s foreign minister has accused the United States of targeting a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island, disrupting supplies to more than two dozen villages.

“The United States committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island,” Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on the microblogging site X.

“The water supply of 30 villages has been affected. Attacking Iranian infrastructure is a dangerous decision with serious consequences,” he added, warning that “it is the United States, not Iran, that has set this precedent.”