Tehran, September 22: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Tuesday that Iran’s military would “cut off” the hands of those wishing to attack the Islamic republic and repeated his demand that US-led troops leave the region.
“No power will ever dare to think of launching aggression against Iran. Today, Iran is experienced and powerful,” the hardliner said in an address to the nation on the anniversary of the eruption of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980.
“Our armed forces are ready to confront the forces of darkness. If anybody wants to shoot a bullet at us from anywhere, we will cut off his hands,” he said.
“The world must know that the Iranian people will strongly defend their rights and their land,” added Ahmadinejad, who according to state television left Iran soon after his address, bound for New York where he is to attend the UN General Assembly meeting.
Iran’s arch-foe Israel has refused to rule out a military option should Tehran fail to curb its controversial nuclear programme, which the West fears is a cover for making atomic weapons.
The Jewish state is trying to convince delegates to the UN General Assembly to stay away from the chamber when Ahmadinejad addresses the gathering, a senior Israeli diplomat said on Tuesday.
Ahmadinejad, who has earned international notoriety by anti-Israeli tirades, again called the Holocaust a “myth” on Friday as Iran staged an annual pro-Palestinian march.
Tuesday’s event marking the invasion of Iran by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces which provoked a war lasting almost a decade was marred when a military plane taking part in the extravaganza crashed near Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“One plane which was conducting manoeuvres during the parade crashed in the village of Vali Abad,” near Tehran, the report said. It did not say if there were any casualties.
IRNA later dropped the report from its website without giving any reason. No independent confirmation could be obtained concerning the reported crash.
In his address, Ahmadinejad demanded that US-led foreign forces leave Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We advise you to go back to your own land. Our region will never accept a lengthy presence of foreigners,” the re-elected president, dressed in his trademark light-colour jacket and wearing sunglasses, said at the ceremony attended by top military and administrative officials.
“As you saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, people are against the presence of foreigners. It is impossible (for foreign troops) to have a stable base in the region.”
During the parade, Iranian military pick-up trucks were seen sporting large banners proclaiming, “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”
Thousands of soldiers participated in the parade during which Iran also showed off its range of missiles, including the latest Sejil version, and displayed its fighter plane, Saegheh, which it claims to have built domestically.
The parade took place opposite the mausoleum built for Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on the outskirts of Tehran.
Ahmadinejad said the Iran-Iraq war, which killed about a million people on both sides, and which Iran describes as the “Sacred Defence”, was a “humiliation to Satanic forces.” Iranian officials refer to the United States as the Great Satan.
“Chemical weapons were used against our nation and the Satanic powers equipped Saddam (Hussein) against our nation. Saddam was backed by certain arrogant powers,” the president said, reminiscing about the brutal conflict.
“We ask the arrogant powers to revise their polices… they sell weapons and then talk of peace.”
Ahmadinejad’s comments also come just days ahead of a high-profile international meeting between Iran and representatives of the six world powers on Tehran’s latest package of proposals.
The package aims to allay global concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme which Western powers suspect is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a charge vociferously denied by Iran.
–Agencies