Iran’s export of military equipment surges five-fold, production three-fold: Minister

Iran’s defense minister says there has been a significant increase in the production and export of defense equipment in the current Iranian calendar year compared to the year before despite harsh economic sanctions on the country.  

“Production and export of defense equipment … have seen a three- and five-fold increase [respectively] compared to last year,” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday.

There has been “considerable growth” in all aspects of the defense ministry, he said, adding that the ministry has been putting efforts to meet the growing requirements of the country's armed forces.

“We both help armed forces as well as other fronts, and we also strengthen them so that they can contribute to [promotion of] defense,” he said.  

Last week, the minister noted that despite decades of sanctions, Iran has become self-sufficient in producing various types of defense equipment.

“In the defense sector, we have achieved a [high] status in the international arena in a very short period," he told Khamenei.ir, the official website of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

"The world started [this path] two-hundred years ago and we started 30 or 40 years ago. [The enemies] fear the acceleration of our growth and say considering this trend Iran can’t be stopped."

He informed that many countries have approached Iran to purchase military equipment, adding that "the perception that the Islamic Republic is capable and powerful forces enemies to back off".

Many nations asking for Iran-made military equipment: Defense minister

Iran’s defense minister says the country has made remarkable advancements in producing military equipment since 1979.

Helicopter parts, engineering services' export to ‘friendly countries’

Meanwhile, a high-ranking Iranian military official said on Wednesday that the country has managed to produce helicopter parts in line with global standards and begun to export them.  

Head of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Brigadier General Afshin Khajeh Fard lauded the country's self-sufficiency in the production of various types of military equipment amid sanctions, noting that the defense industry is exporting military equipment, including required pieces for manufacturing helicopters, to friendly countries.

Noting that Iran has the “most diverse” helicopter fleet in the world, he stressed that the country is not dependent on foreign countries in this field.

"Fortunately, we have overcome the sanctions and today we also export and provide engineering services to other friendly and allied countries," he stated.

Enemies are 'desperate' in face of Iran’s progress

Elsewhere in his remarks on Wednesday, Ashtiani referred to the recent drone attack on a complex affiliated with the defense ministry in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, which was effectively foiled, noting that such incidents can happen in any country.

The enemies adopt some measures out of their “weakness” and “desperation” as they “cannot tolerate the progress” of Iran’s defense power, he said.

Many countries in line to buy Iran's defense products: General Bagheri

General Baqeri says Iran’s defense deterrence does not allow the emergence of threats.

He also said more details about the perpetrators of the attack will be announced in near future.

On Friday, Iran's intelligence ministry and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) released a joint statement, saying that the main perpetrators of the attack had been identified and arrested.

"So far, the involvement of mercenaries of the ... Zionist regime (Israel) in that act has been proven," the statement noted.

According to the intelligence bodies, investigations are still underway and more information will be provided at an appropriate time.

On January 29, the defense ministry announced that its air defenses had repelled an attack conducted by a number of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) against one of its workshops in Isfahan.

“One of the MAVs was downed by the complex’s air defense fire, while the other two were caught in its defensive traps and exploded,” the statement said.

It noted that the attack did not cause any loss of life and only led to minor damage to the roof of a workshop

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