Iran says its armed forces are not a regional threat, calls for unity against US

Holds an Army Day military parade to unveil its latest military equipment

LONDON: President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that Iranian armed forces were not a threat against any regional country, as Tehran held an Army Day military parade to unveil its latest military equipment.

“I want to tell the regional countries that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not against you and your national interests. They stand against invaders ... The roots of our problems are the Zionist regime and American imperialism,” Rouhani said in a ceremony in Tehran, broadcast live on state television.



Rouhani also said the US designation of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation was “abhorrent” and an “insult” to the Iranian nation.