Middle East has no need for US ‘policeman’ – Iran

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This handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. Pezeshkian on September 1 vowed to match any US move to return to a June deal aimed at ending their war, as he prepares to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a regional summit. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP) / – Israel OUT / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / HO / IRANIAN PRESIDENCY” – NO ACCESS ISRAEL MEDIA/PERSIAN LANGUAGE TV STATIONS OUTSIDE IRAN/STRICTLY NO ACCESS BBC PERSIAN/VOA PERSIAN/MANOTO TV/IRAN INTERNATIONAL TV – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS === /

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Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that the Middle East does not need the United States to be a “regional policeman”, with the two countries at war and vying for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

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“We do not need a regional policeman,” he said on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in India during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

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“The territorial integrity and security of the region can only be guaranteed by its main players and the countries that comprise it,” he added, according to the Iranian presidency.

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Iran has been at war since February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed its supreme leader.

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The Islamic republic retaliated with attacks across the region and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil previously flowed.

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Iran and the US have since been vying for control of the strategic waterway.

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The strait was free to transit before the war, but Iran now requires vessels to obtain permission and is considering a mechanism to impose service fees.

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Ships that do not comply are regularly targeted by Iranian strikes, while the US periodically bombs the Iranian coastline to challenge the Islamic republic’s control of the strait.

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More than six months into the Middle East war, the blockade continues to drive up oil prices, which soared past $100 a barrel this week.

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“Despite all the injustices suffered by our people, we neither desire war nor its continuation. Peace remains our priority,” Pezeshkian added.

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