Iran Rejects US Role as Regional Policeman Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict
The Middle East conflict has reached a boiling point as Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian made it clear that the region does not need the United States to act as its 'regional policeman'.
Pezeshkian stated this at the BRICS summit in India, where he met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The conflict began on February 28 when US-Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader. In response, Iran retaliated with attacks across the region and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil flows.
The blockade has driven up oil prices, which soared past $100 a barrel this week.