Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics of Iran Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani made the remarks in a message on the occasion of the "International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action," on Tuesday.
In his message, the defense minister noted that it is warlords such as governments, and politicians rather than nations who start wars with all their negative consequences including mining big areas.
"In fact, these statesmen and rulers have been expansionists, aggressors and warmongers who have imposed devastating wars on others," Gen. Ashtiani said.
Elsewhere, he pointed to the imposed Western-backed Iraqi Ba'athist regime's war on Iran, saying that during that eight-year war, large areas in Iran were mined by the enemy.
He elaborated more that over four million hectares of Iranian lands were mined with about 20 million explosive devices of different types including landmines and cluster bombs, which have come at a huge human cost.
"Today, I am proud to announce that despite the ever-increasing sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with its humanitarian responsibilities and relying on internal capabilities, has cleared a large part of mined lands in the country and has also acquired the knowhow of producing demining equipment," the defense minister noted in his message.
MNA/5746269
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