Iran marks National Army Day

TEHRAN, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday hailed the army's "peaceful" role in the region as the country celebrated the National Army Day.

Iran's defense program has a peaceful nature and the Islamic republic has no intention to invade other countries, Rouhani said in a ceremony to mark the event.

Rouhani blamed foreign forces for the cause of insecurity in the region. "The invaders have nested in our region and have illegitimate presence,"he said.

"They (the west) invade the other country in the region without licence from the United Nations," he said in a reference to the recent U.S.-led aggression on Syria under the pretext of Syrian army's alleged use of chemical weapons.

"In a context where big powers use the terrorist groups as their tools in the region, we need to equip our armed forces with deterrent means," he added. Enditem