Foreign Actors’ Interference A Source of Discord in Region: Ayatollah Khamenei
In a virtual address to a ceremony held for graduates of military academies in Tehran Sunday, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised Iran’s armed forces, calling them "a defensive shield in the true sense of the word against the hard threats of the external and internal enemies".
His remarks came after Iran’s Army held military exercises on its northwestern border, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stating that Tehran “does not tolerate the Zionist regime’s activity against its national security”, referring to Israel’s relations with neighboring Azerbaijan.
“The interference of foreigners in the region is a source of discord and damage. All issues and incidents must be resolved without foreign interference and the countries of the region should follow the example of Iran and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic for power and rationality,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said regional armies can provide security in the region, adding some states should not allow foreign armies to intervene or have a military presence in the region to protect their own interests.
“The events that are taking place in the northwest of Iran in some neighboring countries should be resolved with the same logic of avoiding giving permission to the presence of foreigners,” the Leader said.
“The armed forces of our dear country always act with power combined with rationality, and this rationality should be a model for other countries and a factor in solving the existing problems, and everyone should know that whoever digs a pit for his brothers shall fall therein first.”
Ayatollah Khamenei described security as the “basic infrastructure of all necessary activities” for Iran’s development, saying it is important to achieve security without relying on foreigners.
The Leader said while security is something normal for the Iranian nation, many countries - even in Europe - have a problem to achieve it, citing a recent spat between France and an emerging US-led Anglo alliance over building submarines for Australia.
“Some Europeans called the US action a stab in the back and in a way said that Europe should ensure its security independently without relying on NATO and in fact on America,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, apparently referring to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s remarks in an interview.
Source: Press TV
