Iran will cut off hand of any attacker: President

Tehran, Apr 18: Iran's army will ''cut off the hand'' of any attacker and is a force for peace and security in the region, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today during an annual military parade.

Iran is embroiled in a row with the West over its nuclear ambitions. The United States, which says Iran is trying to build an atomic bomb, has said it wants a diplomatic resolution to the standoff but has not ruled out military action if that fails.

''The army stands against any aggressor and will cut off its hand,'' the president said in a speech shortly before troops marched passed his podium information.

He made a similar remark in last year's annual ceremony saying Iran would ''cut off the hands of any aggressors''.

''Our army is self sufficient ... and is at the service of peace, brotherhood and security in the region,'' the president said in the televised address, describing Iran's armed forces as a defensive rather than offensive force.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, insists it is does not seek a nuclear weapon and says it wants to master nuclear technology so it can generate electricity.

Today's parade was held near the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Close by are tens of thousands of graves of those who died in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Reuters