Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday issued a sharp warning against the American military presence in West Asia, saying countries in the region would no longer act as a “shield” for US bases as tensions continue to simmer across the Gulf.
The remarks come at a sensitive moment when Washington and Tehran are engaged in negotiations over a possible diplomatic understanding, even as military and geopolitical tensions continue to shape the region’s fragile security landscape.
Speaking as the annual Hajj pilgrimage began, Khamenei said the geopolitical balance in the region was changing and warned that the United States would no longer enjoy a “safe haven” for maintaining military infrastructure in the Gulf.
“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,” he wrote on X.
The statement was seen as one of the strongest public remarks from Tehran in recent weeks regarding the American military footprint in the region.
Khamenei calls for unity among Muslim nations
In a separate set of posts, Khamenei urged Muslim nations to unite and asked pilgrims to pray for “the liberation of Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque” as well as for “ultimate victory against global arrogance”.
He also said Islamic nations possessed shared capabilities and interests that could influence “the future geometry of the region and the world”.
According to an earlier report by Al Jazeera, citing the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States currently operates a wide network of military facilities across at least 19 sites in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar.
Marco Rubio criticises Iran’s Hormuz policy
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Iran’s position on the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that maritime movement through the key global shipping route should remain unrestricted.
“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,” Rubio said on Tuesday.
He also hinted that discussions between Washington and regional allies over a possible framework with Iran were progressing.
“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,” Rubio said.
“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,” he added.