IFP- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hit back at claims raised about the Islamic Republic�s regional presence and defensive power, vowing that the country will continue to pursue its interests in the region.

Speaking in a Monday conference in Tehran, Rouhani said those who raise allegations about Iran�s presence in the region and its defensive power aim to evade responsibility for their role in the destruction of the Middle East.

�Who is responsible for so much destruction in the Middle East? Who did devastate Iraq and help the terrorists? And who did create all of them?� Rouhani asked.

�They [Europeans] say they like to negotiate with us. Alright, come here and talk. You will see who loses the most.�

�We ask certain countries: On the day when we were innocently fighting against aggressors [in the 1980s], who did you give weapons to? To us or to the aggressor?�

�When our people were under fire of enemy�s artillery, bombs, and missiles, did you give us a single air defence weapon?�

�At that time, we sent a broken European-made anti-aircraft gun to Europe for overhaul; however, they not only refused to repair it for us, but they even did not send the broken weapon back to us and said you are in the middle of a war and we cannot do it. Now they want to negotiate with us on military weapons,� he noted.

�Don�t trust such allegations. We know how to respond whenever necessary,� he added, vowing that the country will continue to pursue its interests in the region within this framework.