Hassan Rouhani: We Will Not Abandon Our Defensive Weapons and Missiles

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, emphasized the need to "strengthen Iran's missile capabilities" on Saturday, stating, "The fact that the Americans are angry about our missiles means that today our most effective weapon is the missile, so we appreciate our missiles even more because of their words." According to Iranian news agencies, Rouhani made these remarks during a military parade commemorating the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War, asserting, "Iran will not only not abandon its defensive weapons and missiles, but will also continuously enhance its defensive power." Rouhani addressed American officials, saying, "You say we should not be present in our own region, but the question is, why are you present in this region from thousands of kilometers away?!" In another part of his speech, he compared Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, referencing the history of the Iran-Iraq War, which began when Saddam unilaterally abandoned international treaties. Rouhani stated that just as Saddam initiated the war by unilaterally withdrawing from the Algiers Agreement, Trump has unilaterally exited the nuclear agreement. He noted, "Today, the previous war is repeating itself. Back then, one of America's proxies was against the Iranian nation, supported by all powers, but today it is no longer a proxy war; America is directly confronting the Iranian nation, and it is the one that has initiated the breach of trust and withdrawal from agreements." Rouhani described Trump's main goal in exiting the JCPOA as a "blow to the essence of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic system." Trump has repeatedly called the JCPOA a bad deal, emphasizing that it focuses solely on Iran's nuclear activities while neglecting its "missile and destabilizing" activities in the region, which is why he prefers to exit the agreement. Rouhani remarked that just as Saddam's allies regretted their support for him years later and the United Nations recognized Iraq as the aggressor in the war, "the same will happen to Trump, and what happened to Saddam will happen to America and Trump." Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also attended a similar ceremony in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, emphasizing that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will crush any American aggression in the region." Larijani also addressed leaders of Islamic and Arab countries in the Middle East, stating, "I tell you that they are enemies of Islam and Muslims. You know better than we do that the Americans are after plundering your wealth, but some in the region thought that with Trump's presidency, they would achieve their dreams and aspirations." According to the Speaker, "Trump has shown that he values nothing for the Arabs except for plundering the assets of the countries in the region." In the coming days, Hassan Rouhani will travel to New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, while Donald Trump tweeted on Friday, September 21, that he would chair next week's UN Security Council meeting on Iran. It is still unclear whether Rouhani or Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will attend this meeting. Rouhani is scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on September 25. Ahead of his trip to the U.S., Rouhani published an op-ed in the Washington Post, calling his American counterpart's proposal for negotiations insincere and stating that the U.S. government's claim of supporting the Iranian people while imposing sanctions is "empty and hypocritical."