Iran President: Arms for defense a must for national security

'Iran's defense program does not disturb regional balance,' Rouhani said in a meeting on Tuesday with the US senior media officials in New York while commenting on a claim by the US leaders that Iran's military program disturbs regional balance.

'Which is more disturbing the regional balance, Iran's missile program or flooding arms into the region and keeping silence towards invasion of a country on another independent country?,' President Rouhani said adding that even the polls which were conducted by the Americans have made it clear that people 'assessed as positive Iran's role, unlike that of the US, in the fight against terrorism' and the country's plan to this end.

President Rouhani stressed that 'there should be no arms race in the region' since selling large amounts of weapons to the region does not serve its benefit.

He said that Iran has learnt from its wartime experiences that it should not hesitate over defending its nation.

'When our defenseless people were bombarded by [Iraqi dictator] Saddam [Hussien], the world kept silent turning a blind eye to his crimes. Iranians cannot just sit idly by the regional threats. Our missiles are for defense and who can say that Iran should not defend itself while other regional states are provided with the latest modern weapons?' President Rouhani said.

'We have used our missiles only once and that was when Daesh killed defenseless Iranians inside the country's parliament,' said the President referring to Tehran's missile attack on Daesh terrorists headquarters in Syria on June 18, 2017, which was carried out after the terrorist group attacked the Iranian parliament on June 7, 2017, killing a number of the ordinary people with direct shootings.

'If anyone attacks us, we will respond strongly,' Rouhani said referring to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) firm response to the terrorist group of Daesh (ISIS).

Stressing that Iran is producing arms for defensive purposes, President Rouhani said he is wondered how 'they talk about defensive arms while, at the same time, they do not mention the weapons which are being used to target the people of Yemen every day?'

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