DM: Iran Needs No Unconventional Weapons

“Today, we are facing transforming threats and our experts should identify these threats and equip themselves proportionate to these threats,” Dehqan said, addressing a meeting at the defense ministry in Tehran on Monday.

Voicing the defense ministry’s opposition to aggressive views, he said, “Our view is based on defense and deterrence in a way that the enemies don’t dare to act or if they act, we will make them regret their deeds and desist from repeating or continuing their actions.”

“We consider one principle in all our plans which is people-reliant defense and therefore, we don’t need unconventional and atomic weapons while Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei) has also issued a fatwa (religious decree) against such weapons,” Dehqan said.

General Dehqan had also warned on Saturday that threats against Iran were changing, but the country’s armed forces enjoy the needed power and readiness to deter and defuse such threats.

“In their efforts to confront the changing threats, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces will defuse any move against the Iranian nation by maintaining their deterrence power,” the defense minister said.

He underlined that the defense ministry was capable of fighting threats in the shortest possible time.

Dehqan, meantime, said that the Iranian Armed Forces’ capabilities were merely meant for defensive goals and for safeguarding regional peace, stability and security.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Iranian officials have always stressed that the country’s military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.

In a relevant statement in April, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces in a statement vowed to remove any kind of threat posed to the country and its Islamic Revolution.

“The brave and grateful nation of Islamic Iran and the Armed Forces are ready to stand powerfully and decisively against any possible threat to the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Establishment vigilantly and smartly and under the guidelines of the Supreme Leader and give a remorseful response to the enemies of our dear Iran,” said the statement which was issued to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Lieutenant General Ali Sayyad Shirazi.