The President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, described the U.S. demand for “unconditional surrender” as “a dream they must take to their grave,” in a speech broadcast on state television on Saturday.

Pezeshkian said that the country “will stand until the end” and that there will be no surrender, urging Iranians to put aside internal disagreements and unite to defend the nation.

At the same time, he stressed that Tehran has no intention of attacking neighboring countries and that strikes would be carried out only if attacks against Iran originate from their territory. According to Iranian media, the decision was approved by the country’s transitional leadership council.

The Iranian president also apologized to neighboring states for any damage that may have been caused by strikes in recent days and called on countries in the region not to become “tools” of Israel or the United States, but instead to pursue solutions through diplomacy.

Earlier, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, reiterated that only Iran’s surrender would end the attack that began a week ago, underscoring the continuing tension in the region.