Iran has commemorated National Army Day with large-scale military parades held across the country, showcasing the army’s preparedness and latest achievements. In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani addressed the ceremony and stressed the country's armed force are no threat no neighbors.
President Rouhani addressed the Tehran event, which was also attended by the chiefs of the Iranian Army, Air Force, and Navy, as well as senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Rouhani highlighted the peaceful nature of the country’s defense program, saying Iran has no intention to invade other countries or harm their interests.
The president assured regional states that Iran’s policy towards them is based on “good neighborliness,” adding that history shows Iran has never invaded but rather helped nations and governments grow over the past centuries.
He emphasized Iran’s right to develop its national deterrence power, stressing that the country will not wait for any permission to produce the defensive weapons it needs.
“In such a region where big powers have used terrorist groups as tools to promote insecurity, our country needs a strong deterrent armed force that stands against the major powers’ conspiracies and prevents terrorists from setting sight on the territory with greed,” he added.
The Iranian chief executive also warned the Western States against flooding the region with their weapons while plundering the resources of its nations.
“Your weapons could neither bring independence for regional countries nor frighten great nations like Iran,” Rouhani said, describing political dialog and peaceful approaches as the only solution to regional and global problems.
This came as Iran commemorates National Army Day with a large-scale military parade, showcasing the country’s defense preparedness and latest achievements in this sector.
Forces with various divisions of Iran’s Army attended the parade, which began on Wednesday morning near the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in southern Tehran.
On April 18, 1979, Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic named 18 April as Army Day, during a speech to the people calling for military parades to exhibit the nation's military preparedness.