Khamenei: "The Middle East Will No Longer Serve as a Shield for U.S. Military Bases"

Iran Asserts Declining U.S. Influence
and Calls for a New Regional Order

Iran's new leader Mojtaba Khamenei asserted that after the war, U.S. military bases in the Middle East would no longer be safe, advocating for a new regional order in the area.

According to Bloomberg News on the 26th (local time), Khamenei issued a statement marking the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, declaring, "There is no turning back the clock," and that "the countries and territories in this region will no longer serve as shields for American bases." He went on to argue that the Hajj plays an important role in "describing the victory" in the war against the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Iran's new leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Khamenei. Photo by AFP

Bloomberg reported this demonstrates Iran’s perception that the war has fundamentally altered the balance of power in the Middle East. The claim is that U.S. influence has weakened, Iran’s deterrence has been strengthened, and a new environment has emerged in which Gulf states have no choice but to coexist with Iran.

Khamenei also referred to the participation of Iranian pilgrims as a symbol of Islamic unity, and despite the strategy of retaliatory attacks toward neighboring countries, he offered "friendship and cooperation" to all Muslim nations.

However, Bloomberg previously reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the countries most heavily affected by Iranian attacks, has, together with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pursue negotiations instead of resuming war, after having retaliated against Iran multiple times.

In this statement, Khamenei did not mention the diplomatic efforts surrounding a ceasefire or the recent clashes that have continued over the past day. Bloomberg noted that these clashes are seen as variables testing the maintenance of the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the end-of-war negotiations would "take a few more days," but warned that if a satisfactory agreement is not reached, President Trump may walk away from the negotiating table.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.