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3. Iran President Apologizes to Gulf Neighbors Triggering Rift Among Country’s Leadership

Iranian President Masoud Pezeskian faced backlash from conservative hardliners following his speech yesterday, in which he apologized and vowed to stop striking neighboring Arab countries, provided they did not conduct attacks against the Islamic Republic. 

In an apparent backtrack, Pezeskian claimed in a prerecorded address, Sunday, that Trump distorted his “apology yesterday into surrender in an attempt to sow discord."

Hamid Rasaei, a hardline conservative lawmaker and cleric, addressed the president on social media, saying, "Your stance is unprofessional, weak, and unacceptable.” Government sources reported to Al Hadath, that the Revolutionary Guard contingent was also unsatisfied by his initial statement.

Though he retracted the apology, the President stood firm in offering a fig branch to his gulf neighbors, the same day Arab foreign ministers are expected to meet via videoconference in an emergency Arab League session.

Pezeshkian’s moratorium does not extend to U.S. assets in the region with Iran’s Ministry of Defense claiming credit for an attack on US military installations in Kuwait, early Sunday morning. Kuwaits Interior Ministry announced that the strikes killed two Land Border Security officers.

Other gulf countries have continued to field attacks with Al Arabiya reporting that Bahrain and the UAE were facing missile and drone threats, as Emirati air defenses raced to intercept the attacks.

The Saudi Defense Ministry also announced that it had intercepted and destroyed 9 drones east of Riyadh. Iran has not yet commented on these attacks.