Iran warned Israel and the United States against any aggression, as it paraded its troops and military hardware on Friday, September 21 under the gaze of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and top brass, Agence France Presse reported. The Tehran parade, involving thousands of military personnel, dozens of tanks and missiles, marked the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Ahmadinejad, in a speech broadcast on state television, said that Iran was using “the same spirit and belief in itself” shown in that war to “stand and defend its rights” today. Ahmadinejad also touched on an anti-Islam film that has fuelled violent protests in parts of the Muslim world, calling it an Israeli-hatched plot “to divide (Muslims) and spark sectarian conflict.” General Ataollah Selehi, the commander of Iran’s army, and other military leaders renewed their pledge that Israel would be annihilated if attacked.