Addressing a ceremony to mark the National Army Day in Tehran on Sunday, Rouhani said, "If arrogant powers and their mercenaries in the region cannot have a covetous eye on the Islamic Republic, it is because of the country's powerful Armed Forces."

He added that Iran currently enjoys high security and stability in an insecure region due to its powerful Army.

Rouhani emphasized that Iran has both logic and hard power on its side, emphasizing that the country’s diplomats and Armed Forces are pursuing the same objectives, which are based on national security, Iran’s might and its stability and development.

The Iranian president said the country’s power is merely for defensive purposes and will never target its neighbors and countries in the Muslim world.

“I clearly announce here, just as I clearly announced in the presence of the heads of Islamic countries [at the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul] a few days ago, that the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including our military, political and economic power will not be [used] against neighbors and countries in the Muslim world,” Rouhani added.

There is no rift among the Iranian nation, government and the Armed Forces, he said, emphasizing that the Iranian Army would repel any aggression against the country.

“However, our logic is [based on] peace and brotherhood with our neighbors and with the Muslim world,” Rouhani pointed out.

He also said that Iran’s diplomacy seeks to safeguard the country’s national interests, adding that during the nuclear negotiations with world powers, Iranian diplomats sought to maintain and boost the country’s military might.

ran’s latest defense achievements were showcased during nationwide parades on the National Army Day, which is held to commemorate the role played by the Iranian Armed Forces in maintaining security and stability of the country.

The ceremony is held every year in the vicinity of the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in the south of the capital.

Iran Displays S-300 Missile System

During the ceremony, Iran displayed the first batch of S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system delivered by Russia recently.

In November 2015, Russian news agency, RIA Novosti, quoted Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate, Rostec, as saying that Tehran and Moscow have signed a new contract for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defense systems to Iran. Following Chemezov’s remark, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said Iran has purchased as many S-300 missile defense batteries as it needs, adding that Iranian forces are currently undergoing training in Russia on the missile system.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree paving the way for the long-overdue delivery of the missile defense system to Iran. The decision to deliver the system came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany - reached a mutual understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2, 2015, Press TV reported.

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