Tehran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a Persian New Year message on Saturday that Iran will "cut the hands" of anyone who tries to harm the Islamic republic.
"The Iranian nation will guard its national security with full strength and will decisively cut any unclean hand from any part of the globe which tries to harm it," Ahmadinejad said in a message broadcast on state television.
The hardliner reiterated that his re-election in June last year was a "true" example of democracy for the world.
"The decisive vote by the nation for the president clearly outlined what path the government should take," said Ahmadinejad, whose win has sparked one of Iran's worst political crises with the opposition charging it was rigged.
"The enemy tried to hide the success of the Iranian people with dust, but in reality they were rubbing their own faces with dust ... They should know that the Iranian nation is more determined than last year to pursue its high goals."
Ahmadinejad's message came after US President Barack Obama subtly shifted Washington's rhetoric on Iran.
A year after offering a "new beginning" to the Islamic republic, Obama used his annual Nowrouz message to keep open the door to dialogue, but also reached out more to the Iranian people themselves rather than their leaders in Tehran.
"Even as we continue to have differences with the Iranian government, we will sustain our commitment to a more hopeful future for the Iranian people," Obama said in his message released by the White House.
Iran begins its New Year on Sunday.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 09:48