President Hassan Rouhani said Iran's armed forces did not pose a threat to its neighbours as he addressed a display on Thursday of Iran's latest military equipment, including domestically produced fighter jets and Russian-made missile systems. The parade to mark Army Day came as U.S. President Donald Trump pursues his drive to contain Iran's power in the Middle East by means of sanctions.
Thousands of soldiers marched past Rouhani and top military commanders at the parade in Tehran marking Army Day while new Iranian-built fighter jets flew overhead. Iran also showed off missiles, submarines, armoured vehicles, radars and its Russian-supplied S-300 defence system that can take down aircraft and missiles in the sky.
"I want to tell the regional countries that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not against you and your national interests. They stand against invaders... The roots of our problems are the Zionist regime and American imperialism," Rouhani said.
He also said Iran sought "regional security and stability".
The parade was held by the national defence force which controls the country's biggest ground force. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards is in charge of a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Comments
Comments are closed.