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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. / Yonhap

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took aim at the U.S., remarking to the effect that there is no need for external nations to intervene to guarantee security in the Middle East.

Visiting India to attend the summit of BRICS, a grouping of non-Western emerging economies led by China and Russia, Pezeshkian held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in New Delhi on the 12th local time. According to news outlets including AFP, Pezeshkian said in the meeting held ahead of the BRICS summit opening, "We do not need a regional policeman." The remark is seen as targeting the U.S., which is currently engaged in a war with Iran.

Pezeshkian also made his stance clear regarding who should oversee security in the Middle East. He stated, "The territorial integrity and security of this region can only be guaranteed by the principal parties and the nations that comprise this region." At the same time, he reiterated that Iran does not seek war. Pezeshkian added, "Despite all the injustices our people have endured, we neither want war nor wish for it to continue," emphasizing, "Peace remains our top priority."

Iran has been at war with the U.S. for more than six months following the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel in late February.

Pezeshkian also voiced a hardline stance toward the U.S. during a speech delivered to religious leaders and business figures in New Delhi on the same day. He underscored that "the Iranian people will not surrender" to the U.S.

Meanwhile, BRICS member states reportedly reached an agreement ahead of the release of their joint summit declaration.

Four sources told Reuters on the day that BRICS member countries agreed on the joint declaration. While not naming any specific country directly, the statement is expected to include language condemning unilateral warfare launched by any state.

                                                                                                            Kim Yun-hee