US forces must leave region, Iran’s parliament speaker says

The US military presence in the Middle East does not bring security and regional countries would shape a new order without Washington, Iran’s parliament speaker said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a recorded video that security in the region should be established by regional countries and added that US forces needed to leave.

“The face and order of the Middle East will change, but not according to US plans,” he said. “We, the Islamic countries of the region, will establish regional order and security in the economic and security dimensions.”

He also said Iran had changed the design and system of its missile launchers after the 12-day war and that “the enemy cannot hit them.”

Ghalibaf also said the only goal the adversaries had achieved was the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding that a “young Khamenei” has replaced him.