Iran President Says Middle East Has No Need for US Policeman

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that the Middle East does not need the United States to act as its "regional policeman," asserting that the security of the region is the responsibility of its own nations. The statement was made on Saturday during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in India. "We do not need a regional policeman," Pezeshkian said, according to the Iranian presidency. "The territorial integrity and security of the region can only be guaranteed by its main players and the countries that comprise it." The comments come as Iran and the United States remain engaged in a war that began on February 28, following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks across the region and imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil previously flowed. The two nations have since been vying for control of the strategic passage. Before the war, the strait was free to transit, but Iran now requires vessels to obtain permission and is considering a mechanism to impose service fees.