Iran's president has promised to increase the country's military power and missile capability, days after the country's government was condemned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will strengthen our missile capabilities," President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday in a speech broadcast on state television.
"We will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country," Rouhani said according to Reuters.
Rouhani made the speech to a parade of the country's armed forces in the city of Tehran.
The speech has been seen as defiance to President Trump, who criticized Iran's leadership in a speech to the United Nations earlier this week.
"It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime. One that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room," Trump said during his speech to the UN on Tuesday.
Trump accused the Iranian government of masking a "corrupt dictatorship."
"It has turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture, into an economically depleted rogue state, whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos," he added.
Trump was also critical of the 2015 nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran, calling it an "embarrassment", leading to concerns that the U.S. may pull out of the deal.