We will not ask for a permission over defending Iran, said President Hassan Rouhani in Bandar Abbas, Hormuzgan Province, southern Iran on Wednesday.
'We announce to the world that we will make whatever we need to defend Iran,' said President Rouhani speaking to the people of Bandar Abbas.
'We are and will be a good neighbor for you,' he told the Persian Gulf littoral countries.
President Rouhani arrived at Hormuzgan Airport on Wednesday morning to meet with people and open a number of industrial and construction projects in the southern province.
Upon arrival at Bandar Abbas International Airport, he was welcomed by the Supreme Leader's Representative to Hormuzgan Province Ayatollah Gholamali Naeim Abadi, Governor General of Hormuzgan Province Fereydoun Hemmati, and a number of senior local officials.
Speaking to the reporters at the airport, President Rouhani said, 'I am happy that today, as the third provincial visit of the 12th Government, I am in Hormuzgan Province and Bandar Abbas city as one of the most important and strategic ports of the Islamic Republic of Iran'.
'The people of Hormuzgan have always been good defenders for the Iranian land and have stood up against colonialism,' the President added.
President Rouhani is also scheduled to open a number of industrial and construction projects.
He expressed hope that by putting the projects into operation, further development and progress can be witnessed in the province.
Meeting with the elite and attending the meeting of the Administrative Council of the province, and a news conference are on Rouhani's agenda for this two-day visit to Hormuzgan.
Also during the visit of the President to Hormuzgan Province, 30 projects will be put into operation with a credit of over $880m.
- (IRNA)
