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 === /
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.
“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.
“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.
