Roundup: Iranian president hails nuclear deal as reshaping of Iran's global image

President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday hailed a July 2015 deal with world powers on its nuclear program as an achievement that has reshaped Tehran's image in the world.

"The deal proved to the world's public opinion that the charges against Iran about building a nuclear weapon had been baseless," Rouhani told a ceremony at Tehran's Azadi (Liberty) Square marking the 37th anniversary of the victory of Islamic revolution.

"Today, the whole world knows that the hype of the Zionists (of Israel) and the global arrogance against Iran (over its nuclear program) had been a lie," Rouhani said, adding that by the deal, "we could defeat the Iranophebia project" and to show that the Iranians are a peace-seeker nation and are the friends of the global and regional countries.

Rouhani said the global atmosphere now favors Iran's engagement and cooperation with other countries, and that the Islamic republic should seize this opportunity to build the country.

Iran aims at achieving an 8-percent annual growth and needs 30 billion to 50 billions U.S. dollars of foreign investment a year, Rouhani said.

He referred to the recent visits to Iran by the presidents of China and Russia and his own trips to Italy and France, saying important contracts were signed on all four occasions, an embodiment of Iran's importance to the world.

On Thursday, people in the Iranian cities swarmed to the streets carrying images of the late founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and his successor, incumbent leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the capital Tehran, people carried flags and banners in support of the Islamic establishment and chanted anti-U.S., anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian slogans.

The 1979 revolution toppled the U.S.-backed regime of Shah and brought the country under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, an event seen as a turning point in Iran's history.

On Wednesday, Rouhani urged Iranians to mark the anniversary "gloriously and massively" this year to show solidarity and unity of the nation in the face of perils.

"We must participate in the ceremonies with higher spirit," Rouhani was quoted as saying by state IRIB TV. "The unanimous participation of people means national unity, and would solidify our security."

In Tehran's Azadi (Liberty) Street on Thursday, people posed for pictures with a sample of Iran's home-grown Emad ballistic missile, according to the Iranians Students' News Agency (ISNA).

A resolution, read at the square marking the anniversary, said Iran will continue its missile program "determinedly," warning against the "enemies which seek to threaten or weaken" Tehran.

Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said Iran plans to build an upgraded version of the Emad long-range missiles, Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.

"A new model of the (Emad) ballistic missile will be designed and produced in the future with higher precision in hitting targets," he said, adding that Iran also intends to mass produce the first generation of Emad missile.

In October, Iran announced it "successfully" test-fired the country's first long-range missile, Emad, which could be guided and controlled until hitting the target with high precision.

In December, a United Nations experts' report said Iran violated UN Security Council Resolution 1929 by test-firing the Emad capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

The UN report said the Emad ballistic missile has a range of "no less than 1,000 km with a payload of at least 1,000 kg."

Under Resolution 1929, Iran is prohibited from working on ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

However, Dehqan rejected the report, saying the Emad missile is "totally conventional." Endit