The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry hit back at the US for criticizing the IRGC’s participation in the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) in Qatar, saying Iran had every right to attend the event.
Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday that Iran was officially taking part at the DIMDEX 2022 and “such statements (from the US) further discredit the authorities in Washington.”
On March 24, US State Department spokesman Ned Price warned of possible sanctions after Iranian military officials attended the military show in Qatar and exhibited some of the country’s military hardware.
Price said Washington was “deeply disappointed and troubled by the presence of Iranian military officials” as well as the IRGC’s “officers” at the event.
The Islamic Republic, like any other country, has the right to promote its defense capabilities or display them in public, especially in friendly neighboring countries, the Iranian spokesman stated, Press TV reported.
“The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, as a military pillar of the Islamic Republic of Iran, plays a fundamental role in boosting the country’s defense capabilities and it is quite natural to have an active presence in the exhibition of such achievements,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
“What is actually a cause of concern,” Khatibzadeh said, “is the United States’ extensive “military presence in the Persian Gulf, which has made this region totally insecure.”
“We have repeatedly emphasized that sustainable security in West Asia can only be established by its own people and through cooperation and partnership among them, and the presence of foreign forces is a lasting threat to regional security.”
Heading a military delegation, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri attended DIMDEX 2022, a biennial event held under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar.
The exhibition and conference were held from March 21 to 23, organized by the Qatar Armed Forces at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha.
Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
