Iranian commander dismisses Western sanctions as "ineffective"

Tehran, June 25 (Xinhua-ANI): Commander of Iranian Army's Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said Monday that Western sanctions have been ineffective on the Islamic republic, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran has proved that "unilateral sanctions and limitations imposed by the global arrogance against Iran did not prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from achieving its objectives and making progress," the army commander was quoted as saying.

Despite the sanctions and limitations imposed by the West, Iran managed to make considerable progress and achievements in different fields, including the defense section, said Pourdastan.

"We will take necessary measures for defending the country while avoiding to make any concessions to any foreign country," he added.

The commander pointed out that the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) plan to stage a number of joint military drills in the current Iranian calendar year (starting from March 20, 2012), according to the Press TV. (Xinhua-ANI)