Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected the idea of the United States acting as a “regional policeman” in the Middle East, as Tehran and Washington remain locked in conflict over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“We do not need a regional policeman,” Pezeshkian said on Saturday during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India.
He said regional security should be guaranteed by countries in the Middle East rather than outside powers.
“The territorial integrity and security of the region can only be guaranteed by its main players and the countries that comprise it,” he said, according to the Iranian presidency.
Iran has been at war since February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed its supreme leader. Tehran retaliated with attacks across the region and blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil previously passed.
Iran and the United States have since been competing for control of the strategic waterway.
The strait was previously open to international shipping, but Iran now requires vessels to obtain permission to transit and is considering imposing service fees. Ships that fail to comply have faced Iranian attacks, while the United States has periodically carried out strikes along the Iranian coast in an effort to challenge Tehran’s control.
More than six months into the conflict, the blockade has continued to push up oil prices, which rose above $100 a barrel this week.
Despite the conflict, Pezeshkian said Iran was not seeking further confrontation.
“Despite all the injustices suffered by our people, we neither desire war nor its continuation. Peace remains our priority,” he said.
