Speaking in a cabinet session on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed that the Islamic Republic has never sought to exert pressure or carry out military aggression against any country, citing the Iranian history which is deplete of any instances of airstrikes on people of neighboring countries or any pressure on regional states.
“Not only haven’t we driven people out of their countries, but we have welcomed refugees with open arms,” the president said.
“Everyone needs to know that we are not concerned over the progress of other countries,” Rouhani said. “Our region will flourish only when we all make progress together.”
The president noted that the economic, cultural, political, social and particularly the military power of the Islamic Republic will never be used against other countries, adding “we do not boost our military power to attack another country. Rather, our defense power is strictly for deterrent purposes or under certain situations, will be used in defending our borders.”
“For us, weapons are meant for peace, boosting stability and security, and for discouraging others from invading our country,” the president said, adding “therefore, no one needs to be concerned over the development of Iran’s weapons, missile or defense program, because the history tells you that in the whole span of forty years since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has not invaded any country.”
“If we were after dominance, we had many opportunities to do so, but we never took any advantage of those situations,” he added.
Noting that Iran’s power will always be used in strengthening those countries in need, the president said “when other countries waged war against one another, we welcomed both. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, we welcomed Kuwaitis in the middle parts of the country, and welcomed Iraqis in the west. The two sides sought refuge in Iran, and we helped and welcomed both.”
“Those who have waged wars and brought chaos and conflict to the region in the past 70 years have no right to talk about the threat of Iran,” the president said. “Iran is no threat to anyone. Iran is [the pillar of] stability and security for the entire region, but of course, it will defend its rights [when needed].”
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