Iran supreme leader says region will 'no longer serve as shields' for US bases

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Tuesday that regional countries would no longer be shields for U.S. bases, in a written statement carried by state television.

"What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," said Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he took office in March, in a message marking the Eid al-Adha holiday.

He said the United States was losing influence in the region, "moving further and further away from its former status with each passing day".