TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the parliament has raised the annual budget of the Armed Forces in a bid to boost the fight against criminals and terrorist cells across the country.





“This year, in order to strengthen the defense power of the Law Enforcement Force, we have increased the force’s budget,” Larijani told reporters on Monday.

He added that in addition to the Law Enforcement Force, the parliament has raised the budget of other armed forces to counter outlaws and terrorist cells, which endanger the country’s security.

The parliament speaker went on to say that the increase is also aimed at boosting security along Iran’s borders.

Last week, Iranian lawmakers approved a bill that obliges the administration to allocate five percent of the annual state public budget to the country’s defense sector, starting from the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 20).

In late March, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underscored the need for boosting Iran’s defense capabilities, warning that enemies are making use of every tool available to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time that if the Islamic establishment seeks technology and negotiations but lacks defense might, it will have to buckle in the face of any weak country posing threats.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in enhancing its defense capabilities.

Tehran has always assured other nations, though, that its military might poses no threat to regional countries, saying that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

By Tasnim News Agency