Iranian leaders have issued conflicting messages amid heightened tensions across Gulf countries.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, offered an apology after the country continued its retaliatory strikes against US-Israel across the Middle East.
Masoud Pezeshkian recently stated that Iran did not intend to violate their territory. He stressed that Iran had only targeted US military bases across the region, adding that Gulf countries are “brothers” and Tehran shares friendly bonds.
On the other side, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any country allowing the US or Israel to use its territory against Iran would trigger the country for more strikes.
Furthermore, Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, defended Tehran’s right to self-defence amid aggravating situations.
Several credible analysts stated that the mixed messaging reflects Iran’s complex power structure, where all the strategic decisions are dominated by the IRGC and the office of the supreme leader instead of elected politicians.
Meanwhile, several Gulf states—including Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue to face strikes and drones entering their airspace over the weekend, with Dubai reporting minor damage to 23 Marina tower yesterday, March 7, 2025, which got hit by intercepted Iranian drone.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the strikes as “dangerous acts of aggression”, warning they threaten regional stability.
Notably, experts warned that retaliation by Gulf states could ignite the ongoing Middle East conflict, as tensions between Iran, the US-Israel has entered into ninth day.
