In no time Iran ‘entertained invasion of others’
President Hassan Rouhani has said even in the absence of hegemonic powers in the region, it requires balance of power and a ballast to create this balance.
Mr. Rouhani addressed a ceremony to unveil defensive products of the Ministry of Defense on Saturday where he believed peace was not a one-way road. Rouhani changed his tone when he said that Iran would not seek permission by any power to develop missile and air fighters; “balance of power in the region and securing our deterrence power are two major reasons that Iran should improve its defensive capabilities,” he added.
“No one during the history advocated aggression and war; despite this very fact, the history witnessed conflict, bloodshed, tyranny, and confrontation of the righteous and the forces of the darkness,” Rouhani told the meeting. “Even in the 20th century, when international organizations and the UN flourished to address peace, and despite the major reformers and advocates of tolerance, the world yet faced greater problems and war.”
Rouhani was true in his verdict of the Middle East; “in no time in history had the region been stable and people experienced conflict and instability in one way or the other; the great powers will never fully abandon this region since their interests would never be forgotten forever; with all this, Iran’s defensive power seeks only to secure a place in the highly volatile region, but will never entertain aggression of any kind against its neighbors,” he assured the countries in the region.
Rouhani however set conditions of peace; “the road to peace is not a one-way route and all countries should have a will to keep peace and security in the region,” he said, turning to the matter at hand, Iran’s improved defense capabilities. “Now we are through a long way from early years of the Revolution when we fought a battle almost empty-handed with a regime well-equipped by hegemonic powers of the time; now, we hail the efforts of the army and defense industries for our current capabilities, where we have been manufacturing air fighter, armored carrier vehicle, helicopter and tanks, which indicates our self-sufficiency,” he rejoiced to tell the meeting.
Rouhani also called to universities and academic centers to cooperate with the defense industries to realize their huge potentials which would be a great help to the defense sector; “The ministry and armed forces should welcome absorbing university talents; if it happens, the country will benefit the most, as beginning in 2014, around 2,000 young talents will be joining the ranks and files of the ministry to provide aide to the higher commanders,” he concluded.
