Ali-Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, says that Iran has emerged as one of the main architects of the regional order, in the wake of elections in the US and Israel, according to state news agency IRNA.

In a post on X, Velayati says Iran must be recognised as a “bridge connecting the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Sea of Oman”.

“Any energy or transit corridor that tries to bypass us will either become too expensive or unstable,” he writes.

Velayati underlines that the crises in Gaza, the Red Sea, Lebanon and Iraq demonstrate that regional security is indivisible.

“Either collective security is achieved, or everyone will experience collective insecurity,” he adds.