Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that Iran had “apologised and surrendered” to neighbouring countries in the Middle East, while warning that the Islamic Republic would face further military strikes later in the day.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump asserted that Tehran had backed down following sustained attacks by the United States and Israel, and said additional targets were now under consideration. His remarks came as the conflict across the region continued to intensify, with missile interceptions reported across the Gulf and airstrikes hitting several cities.

The comments were made amid growing casualties and expanding military operations across the Middle East, with regional governments scrambling to intercept incoming drones and missiles and aviation disruptions reported in multiple countries.

Trump claims Iran ‘surrendered’

In his post, Trump argued that Iran had been forced to apologise to its neighbours and abandon its aggressive posture following ongoing strikes by US and Israeli forces.

He wrote, “Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, ‘Thank you President Trump.’ I have said, ‘You’re welcome!’ Iran is no longer the ‘Bully of the Middle East,’ they are, instead, ‘THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,’ and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter!“

Trump also warned that new targets could soon be added to the list of potential strikes.

Iran rejects US demand for surrender

Meanwhile, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, rejected Washington’s demand that Iran unconditionally surrender, even as he apologised to neighbouring countries for Iranian attacks.

Speaking one week after the conflict erupted, Pezeshkian said Tehran would avoid targeting neighbouring states unless it was attacked first.

“That's a dream that they should take to their grave," he said.

In a statement issued Saturday, the president also acknowledged the anger caused by recent missile launches.

“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”

Pezeshkian is part of a three-member leadership council overseeing the country after a February 28 strike killed Iran’s long-time supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Missile attacks disrupt Gulf region

The conflict has increasingly spread across the region, with Gulf countries reporting interceptions of ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran.

Saudi Arabia said it shot down four drones targeting the Shaybah oil field in the kingdom’s east, marking the second attempted strike on the facility within hours.

Meanwhile, flights at Dubai International Airport were briefly disrupted after explosions were heard nearby and alarms forced passengers to move into underground train tunnels for safety.

Authorities across the Gulf reported additional missile alerts in several countries, including Bahrain.

Airstrikes and casualties rise

Israeli warplanes continued strikes on targets in Tehran and Beirut as the death toll climbed.

Officials reported that at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began, while more than 200 people have died in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel. Six US troops were also reported killed.

The Trump administration has also approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel, even as the US president insisted he would not negotiate with Iran unless it agreed to “unconditional surrender”.

War triggered by February 28 strikes

The latest conflict began on February 28 after US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran that killed Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989.

Following those attacks, Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and American military facilities across the Gulf, including bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

(With inputs from AP)