Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that the country’s powerful Armed Forces are defending and safeguarding the country’s national interests as well as geographical, political and cultural borders

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that the country's powerful Armed Forces are defending and safeguarding the country’s national interests as well as geographical, political and cultural borders.

Addressing a ceremony to mark the National Army Day in Tehran, Rouhani said, "If arrogant powers and their mercenaries in the region cannot have a covetous eye on the Islamic Republic, it is because of the country's powerful Armed Forces."

He added that Iran currently enjoys high security and stability in an insecure region due to its powerful Army.

Rouhani emphasized that Iran has both logic and hard power on its side, emphasizing that the country’s diplomats and Armed Forces are pursuing the same objectives, which are based on national security, Iran’s might and its stability and development.

During the ceremony, Iran displayed the first batch of S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system delivered by Russia recently.

The S-300 system has been on order since 2007 but Russia postponed the sale three years later after the UN Security Council passed a resolution relating to Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

The Iranian president said the country’s power is merely for defensive purposes and will never target its neighbors and countries in the Muslim world.

“I clearly announce here, just as I clearly announced in the presence of the heads of Islamic countries [at the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul] a few days ago, that the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including our military, political and economic power will not be [used] against neighbors and countries in the Muslim world,” Rouhani added.

There is no rift among the Iranian nation, government and the Armed Forces, he said, emphasizing that the Iranian Army would repel any aggression against the country.

“However, our logic is [based on] peace and brotherhood with our neighbors and with the Muslim world,” Rouhani pointed out.

He also said that Iran’s diplomacy seeks to safeguard the country’s national interests, adding that during the nuclear negotiations with world powers, Iranian diplomats sought to maintain and boost the country’s military might.

Iran’s latest defense achievements were showcased during nationwide parades on the National Army Day, which is held to commemorate the role played by the Iranian Armed Forces in maintaining security and stability of the country.

The ceremony is held every year in the vicinity of the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in the south of the capital.