As the US-Israeli operations against Iran entered its second week, the internal power structure of Iran seems to be in a state of division. On Saturday, March 7th, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian President and member of the interim leadership committee, issued a rare apology statement in an attempt to ease tensions with neighboring countries.
However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which holds real power, immediately issued a sharp and tough message, vowing to continue targeting US military bases in the region. Despite the President’s apology, Gulf countries continued to intercept a new wave of missile and drone attacks.
In a modestly staged speech, Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries that have been targeted by Iran in recent days. He explained that following the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders, some armed forces were in a state of “fire-at-will,” leading to inadvertent strikes on non-hostile countries.
He emphasized that the interim leadership committee had ordered the military to refrain from launching missiles at these countries unless an attack was initiated from their territory.
However, Pezeshkian’s moderate stance faced resistance from hardliners within Iran. Just before and after the speech, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement through official media announcing the 25th wave of strikes under the code name “Ya Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
The Guard declared that strikes against US and Israeli assets would continue, with all US military bases that had been sources of “aggression” in countries such as the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan being targets.
The Revolutionary Guard even announced a large-scale drone strike on the Al-Dhafra US military base in the UAE in the early hours of Saturday. Despite the repeated clarifications from the UAE authorities that their territory was not used for military actions against Iran.
The reality confirms that the threats by the Revolutionary Guard have not ceased due to the President’s promises. In the hours following Pezeshkian’s apology, neighboring countries’ air defense systems remained on high alert.
The UAE Defense Ministry confirmed detecting a total of 16 ballistic missiles on Saturday, with 15 successfully intercepted, leading to a temporary halt in operations at Dubai airport.
The Jordanian military reported a total of 119 missile and drone attacks since the start of the conflict, emphasizing that Jordanian territory was not used to attack Iran.
The Kuwait National Guard intercepted an attack drone on Saturday, while Bahrain’s air defense alarm sounded seven times within a single day.
This situation of “diplomatic apology, ongoing military actions” highlights the lack of unified command in Iran’s political and military spheres following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Despite being the second-ranking official in the country constitutionally, the President has limited power in strategic affairs such as security and foreign policy. Al Jazeera noted that currently, the Revolutionary Guard holds the actual decision-making power for attacks, and its new commander, Ahmad Vahidi, is seen as an extreme hardliner, rendering Pezeshkian’s moderate promises feeble in the face of the harsh reality on the radar screens of air defense systems.