President Rouhani: Iran Needs No One’s Permission to Defend Itself

TEHRAN (ST)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed that Iran’s military program is based on a defensive doctrine, but meantime said Tehran would never ask for anyone’s permission for defending itself and expanding its defense industries, implying that the nation would not discuss its missile program in talks with the world powers.

“Our military doctrine is based on defense and we don’t design any weapon for aggression; we don’t carry out any research on how to occupy the regional states. All our researches are based on this defense principle that how we can defend ourselves or how we can stop the enemy,” Rouhani said, addressing a ceremony to unveil two new home-made cruise missiles and two new drones in Tehran on Sunday participated by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and other senior officials.

He said Iran’s defense programs are based on a deterrence strategy to prevent the breaking out of war in the region, reiterating that “our military capability is at the service of regional security”.

He underscored Iran’s strategy of preventing war in the region, and said Tehran is not after an arms race and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) “but it doesn’t ask for anyone’s permission to defend itself and to develop our defense industries to whatever degree” that we deem necessary.

The President once again reiterated the necessity of a nuclear weapons-free Middle-East, saying that all WMDs in the Middle-East should be dismantled.

Rouhani also stressed Iran’s special geopolitical conditions, and asked, “Given Iran’s position in the region and the world, is it possible to speak about stability in the region and avoid mentioning Iran? Is it possible to speak of regional welfare and development without naming Iran?”

Senior regional officials have on many occasions praised Iran for the constructive role the country has always played in the reinvigoration of peace and tranquility in the region, and called for expansion of ties with Tehran.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in separate meetings with former Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Qazanfar Roknabadi in May extended their full support for Tehran’s logical and positive interactions with the world and regional states, and described Iran’s foreign policy as one of the major cause of restoration of security in the region, particularly in Lebanon.

Source: FNA

M. Wassouf