Iran's Rouhani says military power 'purely defensive'

President’s comments follow announcement of new US sanctions last week over Tehran’s ballistic missile program

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday Iran’s military power was “purely defensive” after tensions with the United States over its missile program and a nuclear deal have soared following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has showed that it doesn’t intend to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries,” Rouhani told foreign diplomats in Tehran, according to the ISNA news agency.

“Our military power is purely defensive,” he was quoted as saying.

Despite Rouhani’s claims, Iran is currently deeply involved in the Syrian conflict through its military and financial support of the regime of Bashar Assad.

The country also wields substantial influence in a number of Middle Eastern countries through its support in the form of weapons and cash for its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen and an array of Shiite militias in Iraq.

An Iranian military truck carries parts of the S300 missile system during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the start of Iran's 1980-1988 war with Iraq, on September 21, 2016, in the capital Tehran. (AFP/Chavosh Homavandi) — An Iranian military truck carries parts of the S300 missile system during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the start of Iran’s 1980-1988 war with Iraq, on September 21, 2016, in the capital Tehran. (AFP/Chavosh Homavandi)

The comments from Rouhani, a relative moderate expected to run for re-election later this year, come after the war of words between Iran and the US spiked following Tehran’s announcement of a ballistic missile test and Trump’s controversial travel ban.

“At the current time, we must not allow some to create an unhealthy climate by conjuring illusions,” Rouhani said, quoted by ISNA.

The new US president in his first weeks in office issued an executive order banning travel to the US for nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran.

He has criticized the landmark nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers — including the US — and warned Iran last week it was “playing with fire” following the Islamic Republic’s missile test on January 29 and military drills last week.

The White House on Friday raised the stakes in the increasingly tense stand-off by slapping fresh sanctions on Tehran’s weapons procurement network.

In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, Iranian armed forces members march in a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of Iraq's 1980 invasion of Iran, in front of the shrine of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File) — In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, Iranian armed forces members march in a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of Iraq’s 1980 invasion of Iran, in front of the shrine of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

White House officials are also reportedly weighing sanctioning the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is responsible for quelling domestic dissent and exporting Iran’s “Islamic Revolution” abroad.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Trump’s behavior showed “the real face of America,” long a leading adversary of Tehran.

Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan on Thursday rubbished a report by US cable channel Fox News the day before that alleged Iran had launched a new ballistic missile, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.