President Hassan Rouhani said there is consensus among various political groups inside the country on the importance of preserving the interests of the nation and the establishment.
"The enemy intends to create division among different religious and ethnic groups. But we will not let (this happen) through maintaining unity," Rouhani said, adding, "Despite the existence of disagreements and a variety of factions and parties, we have a united voice on (the need to safeguard) national interests, the establishment and the unity in the Muslim world."
He made the remarks in a speech at the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, at a ceremony to mark his 26th death anniversary on Wednesday.
He said the plots devised so far by the enemy against the Islamic Republic have been foiled with the help of the nation's resilience, citing the move to reduce oil price and keep it down over the past six months as among such plots. Pointing to the sanctions imposed against the country over its nuclear program, Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying, "We will follow our path and will defeat sanctions."
He reiterated Iran's pledge to aid countries beset by terrorism, saying, "Today, not only does the Islamic Republic enjoy security itself, but it is also contributing, and will continue to do so, to (the security of) other regional nations."
"It is the Iranian nation which is helping the Iraqi, Syrian, Lebanese, Yemeni and other peoples in the region in the campaign against terrorism, violence and extremism."
"Relying on God, we can thwart all these plots despite the moves by some upstart governments which are misusing their rich natural resources by trading their petrodollars for destructive weapons to be used against the oppressed Yemeni nation," he added, alluding to Saudi Arabia and its months-long campaign against neighboring Yemen.
