Tehran - Iran on Sunday exhibited its missiles and other
military hardware at the annual parade marking the Iraqi invasion in
1980, which led to a devastating eight-year war.
Military parades and war games have increased in the face of
perceived threats from the United States and Israel against the
country's nuclear sites, after Tehran has rejected calls by world
powers to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.
'Iran is not after violating other countries and rather in favour
of having friendly and fair relations with the whole world,'
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the parade.
'But at the same time we are ready to defend our ideals and
interests. If the enemies dared to attack Iranian boundaries then
our armed forces would break their hands before even before pulling
the trigger and make them severely regret their action,' he warned.
The president planned to travel to New York Sunday to attend the
United Nations General Assembly. He described Iran as a 'big and
influential power' in regional and global developments, which can
provide all its defence requirements despite the financial sanctions.
'At the current juncture Iran is not in a position to show the
slightest softness towards its bullying enemies,' Ahmadinejad said,
reiterating his unwillingness to compromise in the nuclear dispute.
At the parade, Iran displayed its Shahab missiles and Saeqeh
fighter jets, touted as similar to the US F-5 and F-18 fighters.
The Shahab-3 missiles with a maximum range of 2,000 kilometres
have caused international concern, especially in Israel, because they
would be able to reach all parts of the Jewish state.
But Tehran insists that its missiles and other weapons are for
defensive purposes only.
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