A senior Iranian army commander said that the Islamic Revolution's inspiring role in the recent Islamic awakening movements in the region has worried the West and is the root cause of its animosity towards Iran.

"One of the reasons behind the global arrogance's opposition to Iran is that they know that Islamic Awakening has its root in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said, addressing the army personnel here in Tehran on Tuesday.

The commander noted that the West has embarked on imposing some so-called crippling sanctions to restrict Iran's trade and financial interactions in a bid to exert pressure on Iran and reach its devilish objectives.

Despite all enemy pressures, the Iranian nation continues supporting its leader and will not allow any aggression against its soil, he stressed.

Since the beginning of 2011, the Muslim world has witnessed popular uprisings and revolutions similar to what happened in Iran in 1979.

Tunisia saw the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolution in January, which was soon followed by a revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak in Egypt in February.

Libya was the third country touched by the Islamic Awakening. Libyans also embraced victory after months of bloody campaign against the country's dictator, Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have since been the scene of protests against their totalitarian rulers, who have resorted to brutal crackdown on demonstrations to silence their critics.

In Yemen, although the people have toppled the dictator and elected a president, the revolution still continues as allies and family members of the former dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, still hold key posts in the country and have not been brought to justice.

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News ID 182619