Trump Says Iran ‘Apologized and Surrendered’ to Neighbors, Promised to Halt Attacks
Trump says Iran’s pledge followed relentless U.S. and Israeli strikes, accusing Tehran of seeking to dominate the Middle East
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran has apologized to its Middle East neighbors and pledged to stop targeting them, attributing the move to what he described as relentless U.S. and Israeli military pressure.
In a strongly worded statement, Trump claimed Tehran made the pledge after facing sustained attacks during the ongoing regional conflict.
“Iran, which is being beaten to hell, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore,” Trump said.
He added that the promise was made only because of continued U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets, accusing Tehran of previously seeking to dominate the region.
“They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East,” Trump said, adding that the situation marked what he described as an unprecedented defeat for Iran.
Trump also asserted that Iran’s neighbors had thanked him for the developments, saying: “They have said, ‘Thank you, President Trump.’ I have said, ‘You’re welcome!’”
In the same statement, Trump claimed Iran was no longer the “bully of the Middle East,” instead describing the country as “the loser of the Middle East,” and warned that further military action could follow.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard,” Trump said, adding that additional targets were under consideration for potential strikes.
Since the start of the conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel, the two leaders have presented sharply divergent positions on how the war should end. On Friday, President Trump declared there would be no diplomatic resolution with Iran unless Tehran agreed to “unconditional surrender,” saying such capitulation was the only way to bring an end to the ongoing war.
Trump reiterated that stance in a post on social media, insisting that Iran must yield completely before any peace deal could be considered.
In response, Masoud Pezeshkian, in a televised address on Saturday, firmly rejected Trump's demands. Pezeshkian said Iran would never surrender and dismissed the concept of unconditional surrender as an unrealistic goal for their nation.
He also sought to reassure neighboring Gulf states — many of which host major U.S. military bases — by apologizing for Iranian strikes that affected them and saying Tehran would refrain from further attacks on those countries unless they were themselves used as staging grounds for aggression against Iran.
The remarks come as the war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel continues to intensify across the Middle East, with missile and drone attacks reported in multiple countries and mounting concerns over regional stability.