Tehran [Iran], May 26 (ANI): 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)