Iran’s President apologises to neighbouring Arab countries that have been attacked

Iran’s President Mahmoud Pezeshkian has apologised to neighbouring Arab countries that have been attacked.
In a video address broadcast on Iranian state media, the country's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologises to neighbouring states and says Tehran will not attack them "unless attacked first".
Also on the programme: A member of Donald Trump's cabinet set foot in Venezuela, pledging there'll be American investment in the mining and rare earth sectors.
And we hear about a new novel from one of Pakistan's most acclaimed novelists, Mohammed Hanif, whose new novel is titled Rebel English Academy. It's about life in a small provincial town in Pakistan in the late 1970s shortly after the execution of the deposed prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. That execution was ordered by Pakistan's military ruler, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Joining presenter Julian Worricker to discuss these stories are Elizabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think-tank in Washington DC and Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in defence studies and international security at King's College, London.

(PHOTO: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2026. Credit: Reuters)