Tasnim � A top military aide to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said sustainable security in the region would be impossible without Iran.





�Without the Islamic Republic, no sustainable security will prevail in the region,� Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said on Saturday.

He also underlined that Iran outstrips the neighboring countries in terms of defense power, adding, �Iran can be influential in sustainable stability and peace in the region.�

Hailing Iran�s contribution to the security of�regional countries at the request of their governments, General Rahim Safavi said the Islamic Republic has inspired regional governments and nations in such a way that �Americans have to pull out of West Asia, east of the Euphrates river in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.�

In comments on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani scorned the US call for Tehran to abandon its missile capabilities and curtail its regional influence, saying Iran will keep boosting its missile program that has exasperated the US.

As regards the US push to limit Iran�s regional clout, Rouhani hit back at the US for deploying forces to the Middle East from thousands of kilometers away, saying Iran has always been a guardian of the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean and Bab-el-Mandeb strait.