TEHRAN – Commander of Khatam-ol-Anbia Air Defense Base has praised President Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Zarif for their courageous stance in New York.

Addressing a gathering of veterans on the occasion of the Sacred Defense Week in Semnan, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said the “courageous” speech of President Rouhani during UN General Assembly manifests Iran’s rationality and might, ISNA reported on Monday.

Rouhani visited New York last Tuesday to participate in the 71st annual session of the United Nations General Assembly and hold talks with senior officials of some other countries attending the meeting.

“In Dr. Rouhani’s speech, his adherence to all of the Islamic Revolution’s values and principles were manifested,” said the senior military official.

General Esmaili further linked Iran’s military might to the Sacred Defense era, saying that learning from that era’s lessons has led to groundbreaking scientific and military achievements for the Islamic Republic.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Esmaili lauded Iran’s political strength. He went on to say, “The fact that some world powers are attempting to isolate Iran proves that the Islamic Republic is one of the political and military powers in the region.”

Touching upon the JCPOA – a nuclear deal that was clinched between Iran and six world powers – the commander of Khatam-ol-Anbia Air Defense Base said the Islamic Republic’s insistence on its rights shows the country’s strength.

General Esmaili further expressed his admiration for Iranian foreign minister’s remarks in New York. “Dr. Zarif’s powerful remarks are the embodiment of the strength granted to us through our martyrs’ blood and their families.” 

Foreign Minister Zarif, who is in New York, have also been holding talks with senior officials of other countries.

In an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank, on Friday, Zarif responded to a threatening remark by U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald trump, who had said he would shoot the Iranian ships out of the Persian Gulf. 

“Our soldiers and our sailors are a few miles away from our coasts. Yours, Americans, are several thousand miles away. And then they get upset when our boats tell them not to get into our [territorial] waters, that you are approaching Iranian borders, that… you encroach upon our sovereignty,” Zarif said.

MH/PA