Minister: Iran Has No. 1 Defense Industries in Region

Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Iran has the most capable defense industries in the region, but its military preparedness and capabilities merely serve deterrent purposes.

“Today, Iran has the main say in all the naval, ground and air defense industries. Of course, Iran intends to attack nowhere, and this (military) preparedness is a deterrent power,” Najjar said on Tuesday.

He cautioned enemies of Iran’s crushing response to any possible aggression, and said, “The Islamic Iran does not want to invade or wage aggression against any other country, but the response of Islamic warriors to any enemy military aggression will be crushing.”

Yesterday, Iran unveiled a light armored vehicle and an armored personnel carrier as part of its broader plan for increasing mobility of its armed forces.

The light armored vehicle, Howeize, and Talaeiyeh armored infantry carrier were officially unveiled in a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi.

Speaking to reporters, Vahidi said that the newly unveiled vehicles produced by the Defense Industries Organization were a “great step” in increasing mobility and operational movement of the armed forces.

As regards the features of Howeize armored vehicle, Vahidi said that in addition to different military missions, the vehicle can be used at border posts and in anti-narcotic operations.

The Iranian Armed Forces have recently test-fired different types of newly-developed missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of home-made weapons, tools and equipments during massive military drills.

Defense analysts and military observers say that Iran’s wargames and its advancements in weapons production have proved as a deterrent factor, specially at a time of heightened threats by the US.