Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected any need for the United States to act as a “regional policeman” in the Middle East, as Tehran and Washington remain locked in a conflict over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“We do not need a regional policeman,” he said, arguing that regional security should be managed by countries within the region.
“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.
Iran has been at war since February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed its supreme leader. Tehran responded with attacks across the region and imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil previously flowed.
The strategic waterway has since become a central point of confrontation between Iran and the United States.
Before the conflict, vessels could transit the strait freely. Iran now requires ships to obtain permission and is considering introducing a mechanism to charge service fees. Ships that fail to comply have reportedly faced Iranian strikes, while the United States has periodically bombed Iran’s coastline in an effort to challenge Tehran’s control of the waterway.
More than six months into the conflict, the continuing blockade has contributed to higher oil prices, which climbed above $100 a barrel this week.
Despite the prolonged confrontation, Pezeshkian said Iran was not seeking to prolong the war.
“Despite all the injustices suffered by our people, we neither desire war nor its continuation. Peace remains our priority,” he said.
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