Iran has criticised a US-led regional security meeting hosted by Bahrain, after senior military officials from 12 Middle Eastern countries met with US Central Command (Centcom) to discuss regional defence cooperation and maritime security, Al Jazeera reports.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei writes in a post on X that Washington had “constantly demonstrated its complete contempt for genuine peace and security in West Asia”, dismissing such meetings as “nothing more than performative posturing”.

Baqaei accuses Washington of seeking to conceal the US’ “destabilising policies and lawless behaviour in the region” and urges regional states to “remain vigilant and draw clear lessons from the most recent US and Israeli military aggressions”.