Iran army official says some neighbors do not want Iran to be strong

• Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Iran’s adversaries seek to keep the country weak and divided.
• He pointed to countries around the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea as evidence of support for Iran’s opponents.
• Sayyari said some neighbouring states had allowed foreign forces to use facilities on their territory to launch attacks against Iran.

Iran’s Army Deputy Coordinator Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said some neighboring countries did not want to see a strong Iran, accusing Iran’s adversaries of seeking to weaken and fragment the country.

“The enemy does not wish to see a powerful Iran; it desires a weak and fragmented Iran,” Sayyari said, according to remarks carried by Iranian state media.

He pointed to neighbouring countries along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf and around the Caspian Sea, saying their support for Iran’s adversaries demonstrated their opposition to a stronger Iran.

Sayyari also accused some neighbouring states of allowing foreign forces to use bases or other facilities on their territory to launch attacks against Iran.

He said those countries subsequently asked not to be targeted when Iranian authorities informed them that attacks had been launched from facilities on their soil.

The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions and Iranian concerns over foreign military deployments and attacks launched from neighbouring states.

Sayyari did not identify the countries he was referring to or provide specific details about the facilities or attacks in his remarks.

Read more: Bessent says Iran could have ‘nothing left to trade’ within two weeks