LONDON, United Kingdom - The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran marked its national day, showcasing the latest of its military equipment at a time of heightened US-Iran tensions, which have recently seen heavy American deployments to the Middle East.  

The leading ceremony was held south of the capital, Tehran, at the mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, while similar events marked the day in provincial capitals countrywide. 

"Our nation's peace and stability depend on a strong and prepared army," declared President Masoud Pezeshkian in a speech to the Tehran parade, where he was joined by top military brass and senior government officials. 

Praising the army's role in maintaining national and regional security, Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran's military might has empowered it to pursue "a regional agenda based on dialogue and peace.”

That regional policy, however, has long been a thorn in the side of Tehran's adversaries, which find it a destabilizing factor complicating regional security issues. Since its inception in 1979, the Islamic Republic has been pushing an ideological agenda across the Middle East through funding and arming a network of proxies, particularly in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen—and Syria prior to Bashar al-Assad's ouster. 

Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran's status as a "regional power," giving credit to armed forces for thwarting "enemy plots." He underscored the army's progress in defense technology, claiming that Tehran has achieved full self-sufficiency in manufacturing military hardware, including precision equipment.

Iran says its missile program—again a key sticking point with the West—is meant for purely defensive purposes and remains non-negotiable. Opponents, by contrast, fear that it poses a growing threat to global peace. 

During the parades, as broadcast by the state TV, the army showcased domestically developed missiles and drones. Separately, at its bases in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the navy held multiple displays featuring destroyers and submarines.