Rouhani Emphasizes Strengthening Missile Capabilities Despite Western Opposition

Simultaneously with the display of a long-range missile known as "Khoramshahr" at the Armed Forces parade in Tehran, the President of Iran announced that despite opposition from Western countries, the missiles of the Islamic Republic will be "strengthened." According to the state news agency IRNA, Hassan Rouhani emphasized on Friday, September 22, that the goal of the Islamic Republic's military programs is to "defend the country and the nations of the region against the aggression of great powers and against terrorism." Mr. Rouhani added that the Islamic Republic will "strengthen not only its missiles but also its ground, air, and naval forces." He stated, "Whether you like it or not, we will strengthen our military power to the extent we deem necessary for deterrence." The Iranian President reminded that "we will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country and land." Iran's missile program is one of the issues that the U.S. cites to accuse Iran of creating instability in the region, and the UN Security Council resolution supporting the nuclear agreement prohibits Iran from testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The U.S., which has confirmed Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement twice during Donald Trump's presidency, has imposed new sanctions related to Iran's missile program each time. Mr. Rouhani himself, in mid-May, during the second presidential debate, stated that the aim of some missile tests by the Revolutionary Guards and actions such as showcasing underground missile cities was to "disrupt the nuclear agreement." He said, "Some showed images of underground cities to disrupt the JCPOA, wrote slogans on missiles to disrupt the JCPOA, but our people have passed all of this." Nevertheless, Iranian government and military officials have consistently emphasized strengthening the military and missile power of the Islamic Republic in response to criticisms and sanctions related to the missile program, and recently, Amir Hatami, the new Iranian Defense Minister, emphasized that the government is "obligated to increase missile capabilities within the framework of approved programs," and this approach will continue in the twelfth government. The Khoramshahr missile with a range of "two thousand kilometers" was also displayed at the Armed Forces parade on Friday. According to the Tasnim news agency, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards, announced that this missile was built by the Iranian Ministry of Defense at the request of the Revolutionary Guards. According to Mr. Hajizadeh, the Khoramshahr missile has a range of "two thousand kilometers" and "can carry a warhead up to 1800 kilometers, and can carry multiple warheads instead of one." The display of the Khoramshahr missile at the recent Armed Forces parade comes while Hussein Dehghan, the Defense Minister in Rouhani's first government, announced in the fall of 2016 the production and unveiling of "Iran's newest long-range missile" named "Khoramshahr." Fox News also reported last February, citing senior U.S. military officials, that Iran had tested the "Khoramshahr long-range missile" in Semnan. At that time, after a Security Council meeting was convened to review this missile test, Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the UN, described the Iranian officials' claims regarding its defensive aspect as "unacceptable." At that time, the British representative to the UN also considered this missile test to be in contradiction with the UN resolution. This position is emphasized by the European countries negotiating with Iran in the nuclear talks. In mid-February last year, the U.S. also imposed sanctions on several Iranian individuals and entities related to this missile test. Iran's missile program has recently also been criticized by the U.S. President, where Donald Trump, on Tuesday, September 19, in his first speech at the UN, said, "We cannot allow the criminal regime of Iran to continue its destabilizing actions while pursuing its dangerous missile program." However, the Iranian President in his remarks on Friday accused the U.S. of preventing other countries from developing weapons while itself selling "billions of modern weapons to countries in the region" every year. Mr. Rouhani also stated that the result of selling these weapons to countries in the region is "displacement and destruction in Yemen" and the current situation in "Syria and Iraq." He emphasized that the Islamic Republic will continue to defend what he calls the "oppressed people of Yemen, Syria, and Palestine." Part of what the U.S. criticizes regarding Iran's "destabilizing actions" relates to Iran's military presence in the region or Iran's support for militia groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Donald Trump on Tuesday in his speech at the General Assembly referred to the Iranian government as a "rogue" state that, according to him, spends its country's resources on "violence" in the region. He also called on the international community to confront the "destabilizing actions of the criminal regime of Iran." The presence of Iranian military forces in Iraq and Syria has also led to protests from some regional countries, including several Arab states in the Persian Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia. However, Iranian officials declare that the purpose of their forces' presence in Syria and Iraq is to provide advisory services to the governments of these countries in combating the Islamic State (ISIS). Iran supports the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, while Saudi Arabia is one of the main supporters of a group of rebels opposing Damascus. In Yemen, the situation is reversed, and while the Arab coalition led by Riyadh is conducting airstrikes against the Houthi rebels to restore power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Iranian officials have supported the Houthi rebels and have repeatedly been accused of "sending weapons" to them.