Ayatollah: West fearful of Islamic Iran

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TEHRAN, June 3 (UPI) -- Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said Sunday the West was more fearful of Iran's fervent Islam than its nuclear program.

The religious leader spoke Sunday at the 23rd anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomenei and claimed Iran was stronger than ever despite Western efforts to keep the country at bay.

"What the enemies of Iran fear, and must fear, is not a nuclear Iran but the Islamic Iran," Khamenei said.

Khamenei said that despite international opposition, Iran had made major strides in science and defense technology.

The Fars News Agency said Iran earlier this year embarked on a major military modernization program that included next-generation radar, guided weapons and missiles.

Khamenei also claimed Iran was accomplishing its goals without the assistance of other nations, the Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA said. "We have no need to foreign experts in undertaking our projects," he said.