Iran shows military might with drones, missiles

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that Israel was on its way to collapse, as Iran's military displayed a range of home-built drones and missiles at the annual Army Day parade.

To cries of "God is Great" Iran showed off its military might, warning potential aggressors that the Islamic state would vigorously repel any attack, state television reported.

Missiles, armored personnel carriers, unmanned surveillance aircraft and small submarines with men wearing aqua-lungs standing next to them were also part of the parade. Some carriers bore banners proclaiming "We will trample America under our feet".

"The Zionist regime is on its way to collapse," Ahmadinejad, known for his strong anti-Israel rhetoric, said in an address delivered near the shrine of Imam Khomeini, Iran's revolutionary leader, located south of Tehran.

"This is the will of the regional nations that after 60 odd years, the root of this corrupt microbe and the main reason for insecurity in the region be pulled out."

Ahmadinejad, who previously has angered Israel and Western countries for asserting that the Holocaust is a "myth", said that the "murderess" Jewish state was behind the turmoil in the region.

"This regime is the main instigator of sedition and conflict in the region," the hardliner, flanked by Iran's top military brass, said from the podium.

"I want its supporters and creators to stop backing it and allow the regional nations and the Palestinians to settle things with them," he said without elaborating.

This is the will of the regional nations that after 60 odd years, the root of this corrupt microbe and the main reason for insecurity in the region be pulled out

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Deterring attacks

The president of the Islamic Republic also said Iran had the military might to deter attacks.

Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has described Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence. Although it says it wants a diplomatic solution, Washington has also not ruled out military action.

"Iran's armed forces are so strong today that the enemies will not even think about violating our territorial integrity," Ahmadinejad said in a low-key speech at the parade.

Iran's Shahab 3 missile, which Iranian officials say has a range of about 2,000 kilometers that potentially puts Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf within reach, was displayed.

Iran has said it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests in the region and Israel, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil supplies.

Some experts cast doubt about Iran's military capabilities to deter any attack.

"The Iranian military is capable of creating mischief ... but to actually achieve military superiority is highly unlikely," Theodore Karasik, research director at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, told Reuters.

He said Iran's military doctrine was focused on "asymmetric warfare" like using mines and speedboats, to try to disrupt enemy operations.

Iran's armed forces are so strong today that the enemies will not even think about violating our territorial integrity

Ahmadinejad

Quit the region

In his speech, Ahmadinejad also reiterated his view that the presence of foreign forces is causing conflict in the region.

"The presence of foreign forces is the cause of conflict in our region. They must leave," he said, adding that Iran's military might was enough of a "deterrent" for any "enemy" of the Islamic republic.

Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have regularly blamed the presence of U.S. forces in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan for instability in the region.

Soon after his speech, Ahmadinejad presided over a parade of Iranian military personnel, members of the elite Revolutionary Guards and the volunteer Islamist militia, Basij.

While parading, the soldiers were chanting, "On the order of Khamenei, I will give my life!" and "Nuclear energy is our right."

A military personnel carrier meanwhile sported banners reading "Death to America! Death to Israel!"

The military also displayed on the back of trucks about a dozen home-built drones, which it claims can be used for surveillance and for combat, as well as a range of missiles -- part of yet another Iranian program which has caused concern in the West.

Among the missiles which were paraded on trucks and mobile launchers were the Ghadr 1 (Power), which boasts a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles), Shahab 3 (Meteor), with a range of 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles), Sejil 2 (Lethal Stone), Fateh (Conqueror) and two cruise missiles Raad (Thunder) and Nasr 1 (Victory).

The presence of foreign forces is the cause of conflict in our region. They must leave

Ahmadinejad