Iran should increase military might, Ayatollah Khamenei says on anniversary of Islamic revolution
- Being weak will encourage enemies to attack, Supreme Leader says, while dismissing US sanctions as ‘criminal act’
- Tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high after US unilaterally abandoned 2015 nuclear pact and killed top Iranian general in drone strike
Iran should increase its military might to prevent a war, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering of air force commanders on Saturday, dismissing the US sanctions on the country as “criminal act”.
“We should be strong to prevent any war against the county. Being weak will encourage our enemies to attack Iran,” Khamenei, Iran’s top authority, said according to state news agency IRNA.
The Islamic Republic has vowed to increase its military strength despite mounting pressure from Western countries to curtail its military capabilities, including its ballistic missile programme.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have spiked since 2018, when US President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 pact between Iran and world powers under which Tehran accepted curbs to its nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions.
“Since the revolution their aim was to stop us from having a strong military and a strong air force … but look at us now. We even build planes. We have transformed their pressure to opportunity,” Khamenei said, according to state television.
Iran is marking the 41st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, which toppled the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.