“The Islamic Iran is after stability and security in the region, and has paid its price so far,” Dehqan said in a gathering of Defense Ministry officials on Sunday.
Dehqan also lashed out at US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter for his recent provocative comments about what he called the Iranian forces’ “ground presence” in regional countries, recommending the US official to refrain from adopting bullying stances and begin to talk more cautiously and rationally.
He said Carter had better not entangle the US in problems like those in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, and stop provoking sentiments in the Middle East countries.
The minister also explained that Iran’s power and influence do not derive merely from its military capabilities, but also from the determination to fight off aggression and the hegemonic system.
Dehqan underlined that Iran will be never intimidated by the US “empty threats.”
In an interview with the Atlantic, published on November 6, Carter said, “If you look at where the Iranians are able to wield influence, they are in the game, on the ground.”
“We don’t like it that they’re in the game on the ground, but they are in the game. There is a sense that some of the (Persian) Gulf states are up there at 30,000 feet,” he added.