TEHRAN – The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Muhammad Hussein Baqeri said Sunday expansion of Iran’s defense power is a definite and inevitable duty for various reasons.
The top commander praised Iran’s remarkable defense achievements, saying the outcome of the activities of the Iranian armed forces, considering Iran’s low military budget in comparison with other countries, is incomparable in quality.
The general said while Russians refused to provide Iran even with the shape of their Iskander missile, which is a ballistic missile with a range of 300 km, Iranian experts managed to gain the technical know-how to manufacture homegrown ballistic missiles with pinpoint accuracy.
General Baqeri explained that Iran is located in a very delicate region, and that maintaining security and calm in such circumstances would be impossible without a self-reliant defense power.
“The Islamic establishment is located in the most sensitive part of the world at a critical time. Over the past years, the most important conflicts and skirmishes in the world have occurred in our region, and there is no clear prospect of seeing a period of calm and tranquility in the region,” he said.
Pointing to the U.S. military campaign in the region on the pretext of the 9/11 attacks, the Iranian general said Americans continue to diversify their plots against the region.
He pointed to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and its ultimate withdrawal from that country after a humiliating defeat, saying the Americans have pulled out as the oppressed people of Afghanistan have been left with unrest and without a bright prospect.
“The United States occupied Afghanistan with a lot of killings, lootings and many other crimes, but left the country with a humiliating defeat. It left the oppressed people of this country in the throes of problems, troubles and turmoils without a clear future,” he said.
“Despite spending $2,000 billion in Afghanistan, the U.S. turned the Afghan national army into a useless and spineless army that could resist against an insurgent group for only 11 days,” the top commander added.