Khamenei says Iran has a strong Air Force despite US pressure

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday Iran has a very strong Air Force despite limitations imposed on the country by the United States since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

“Since the revolution their aim was to stop us from having a strong air force … but look at us now. We even build planes. We have transformed their pressure to opportunity,” Khamenei told a gathering of Air Force commanders and staff on Saturday, according to state news agency IRNA.

Iran is marking the 41th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, which toppled the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

“We should become so strong to be able to put an end to our enemies’ plots … their plots against the Iranian nation are doomed to fail,” state TV quoted Khamenei as saying.

The Islamic Republic has vowed to increase its military strength despite mounting pressure from Western countries to curtail its military capabilities, including its ballistic missile program.