'No safe haven': Mojtaba Khamenei warns region will no longer have US military bases
Tehran, May 26
As the security situation continues to evolve in the West Asia and Gulf region, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Tuesday that the area would no longer serve as a shield to American military bases.
He made the statement while delivering remarks as the Hajj pilgrimage commences.
Mojtaba Khamenei said on X, "The hand of time does not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases. America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region."
Al Jazeera had noted in an earlier report citing the Council on Foreign Relations, that the US operates a broad network of military sites, both permanent and temporary, across at least 19 locations in the region. These include countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar.
The hardline stance continued further when he took a sharp dig at the United States and Israel in a series of posts on X.
Khamenei urged the pilgrims for unity and called them to pray for "the liberation of Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the alleviation of the great hardships afflicting Muslims, and the attainment of ultimate victory against global arrogance."
Noting that the Islamic countries and nations of the region possess numerous shared capacities and interests, he said that it would thus shape the new order and "the future geometry of the region and the world."
As the US and Iran continue to negotiate and arrive at a peace deal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday sharply criticised the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, calling for unrestricted maritime passage.
Rubio said that the Strait of Hormuz should be "open without tolls" and "no country in the world is accepting of a tolling system except Iran."
He said, "The strait needs to be open without tolls. What is happening there is unlawful, illegal, unsustainable and unacceptable. No country in the world is accepting of a tolling system except Iran."
Speaking on the prospects of a diplomatic agreement with Iran, he said, "The President (Donald Trump) had a historic call with a number of leaders from the region, and I think there is a strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like. It will take a couple of days to settle on...Either there is going to be a good deal, or there isn't going to be one".
— ANI
Reader Comments
Rubio is right—tolls in international waters? That's piracy. Iran can't just tax global trade because they control the chokepoint. But Khamenei's rhetoric is also concerning. We need stability, not sabre-rattling. The US-Iran tension always hits oil prices and that's bad for everyone.
Khamenei sounding emboldened after their recent proxy successes. But remember US has CENTCOM with all those bases—Bahrain, Qatar, UAE. It's not that easy to dislodge them. The Hajj timing is interesting though, using religious sentiment to push political agenda. Smart but dangerous.
The 'new order' Khamenei talks about—is that a veiled threat? The region already has enough chaos: Yemen, Syria, Lebanon. Adding US-Iran military friction on top of that? Unimaginable. And as Rubio said, no country accepts Iran's tolling system. India should be loud about freedom of navigation.
Interesting how both sides are digging in. Khamenei wants no US bases, but gulf states host them willingly for their own security. Iran's 'resistance axis' is impressive but not invincible. And Rubio's tone suggests deal maybe dead? India should keep all doors open—we need energy and we need peace. 🙏
Khamenei is talking about 'future geometry' of the world order. That sounds like Iran wants a multipolar world where they're a key player. But the US isn't leaving the Gulf anytime soon. The toll thing is ridiculous—H
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