Tehran: The conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States entered its eighth day as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that Iran would stop attacking neighbouring countries unless attacks are launched against it from their territory.
According to Iranian media reports, Pezeshkian said the country’s interim leadership council approved the decision. He also apologised to neighbouring states for the recent attacks and stated that Iran does not want to escalate tensions with them.
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has reportedly targeted Israel and other locations across 13 countries in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News that the United States is preparing what could be the largest strike of the conflict against Iran. He said the operation aims to damage Iran’s missile launchers and missile manufacturing facilities.
Amid the ongoing tensions, an Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, is currently docked at Cochin Port in India after seeking assistance due to a technical issue. The vessel reached the port on March 4 after India granted permission for docking.
The ship’s 183 crew members are currently staying at facilities provided by the Indian Navy in Kochi. The vessel had recently participated in the International Fleet Review 2026 and the MILAN 2026 Naval Exercise held in India from February 15 to 25.
Earlier, the US attacked and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka, in which 87 Iranian sailors were reportedly killed.
According to reports from the conflict zone, US-Israel strikes have resulted in more than 1,300 deaths in Iran so far, while hundreds of missile launchers and several military installations have been destroyed. Iranian officials have also claimed damage to US bases in countries including Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
