Iran's Supreme Leader Says Middle East Is No Longer a Safe Haven for US Bases

JAKARTA - Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Tuesday that Middle Eastern countries "will no longer be a shield for US bases" and Washington will no longer have a "safe haven" in the region.

Khamenei's statement was delivered in a statement issued to mark the peak of the hajj pilgrimage, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

He called on Muslim countries and other countries in the region "to pursue common interests" in shaping a new regional and global order.

"I sincerely invite all Islamic countries and governments to establish friendship and cooperation for the common good," he added, quoted from Anadolu (26/5).

The call comes amid mediation efforts led by Pakistan to end the US-Israeli war in Iran that began on February 28, which prompted a retaliatory attack from Tehran.

The ceasefire came into effect on April 8 and was later extended by US President Donald Trump indefinitely.