Iran president says Middle East needs no US 'policeman'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Middle East has no need for a US “policeman,” adding to his criticism of Washington during a period of heightened pressure on Tehran.

Pezeshkian had said Friday that pressure on Iran from the United States had reached a “critical and dangerous stage.” Speaking in India ahead of a BRICS summit, he said Iran had faced sanctions in recent years and that pressure had intensified in recent months after what he called “military aggression by the United States and Israel.”

He said “the world today is going through a period of unprecedented complexity” and argued that economic pressure worsened that situation. “When a country is subjected to political and military pressure on its trade, energy, infrastructure and financial system, the repercussions extend beyond its borders,” Pezeshkian said.

The earlier remarks came after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Iran retaliated by choking off the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy transit, causing global energy prices to rise.

Pezeshkian is on his first official visit to India and was due to hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian diplomatic sources.