TEHRAN, April 18. /TASS/. The United States must withdraw its troops from the Middle East as soon as possible, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in an address on the Iranian national Army Day holiday on Tuesday.

"The US must leave the region as soon as possible, which would benefit both the Americans and the region," the Tasnim news agency quoted Raisi as saying. "Their presence is a threat to the region’s security," he added.

The president highlighted Iran’s role "as a security guarantor in the region." Additionally, in his words, "the army protects Iran’s interests at sea." Raisi also pointed out that the country’s armed forces "in no way threaten the territorial integrity of the countries of the region."

As for relations with Israel, the Iranian president stated that "the slightest unfriendly step against Iran will be met with a tough response from the army, which will be followed by the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv."

Army Day, established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, is celebrated annually on April 18. A parade by units of Iran’s ground forces and the country’s air force took place in Tehran, and a naval parade was held in the Persian Gulf. The events involved both domestically and foreign-made weapons and military hardware.