President Hassan Rouhani unveiled the latest indigenous military products in a ceremony in Tehran on Saturday.
The products included Kowsar, the country's first homegrown jet trainer that can also be used in aerial support missions, a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle dubbed Mojaher-6, Naseer anti-ship cruise missile and Fakour air-to-air missile.
Mojaher-6 is capable of carrying reconnaissance, patrol and combat operations. It can take off from small runways and can take images both in the day and at night. Naseer is a surface-to-surface cruise missile specially designed to engage maritime targets.
Fakour can be mounted on fighter jets. The operational capabilities of the country's Air Force are expected to remarkably grow once the homegrown air-to-air missile is deployed. During the event, the Qaher F-313 fighter jet was tested for taxiing and 20 heavily retrofitted helicopters were also unveiled and handed over to the Armed Forces. In his address to the ceremony, Rouhani noted the significant share of defense sector in the current year's budget, highlighting the country's policy to boost its defense power.
"The annual budget allocated to the defense sector accounted for about 6% of the whole national budget before 2013," President.ir quoted him as saying, referring to the year he took office.
"It has increased to 9% in the current Iranian year [starting March 21]."
The president reiterated the Islamic Republic's stance that it is entitled to developing its deterrent and defense power, and denied allegations that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
"Today, it is imperative for Iran, which has endangered the interests of major powers by sending the message of justice and freedom to the world following the 1979 revolution, to work toward maintaining regional balance and preserving its deterrent defense power," he said.
"We have always announced that boosting our defense capabilities is only meant for defensive purposes and we will not use them to invade any other country because we ourselves are a victim of aggression. We will seek no one's permission for bolstering our armed forces and building missiles."
A recent statement by the G7 countries repeated western allegations that Iran's missile tests are "inconsistent" with UN Resolution 2231 that was adopted on July 20, 2015, to endorse the historic nuclear accord concluded a few days earlier between Iran and major powers. Under the resolution, Iran is "called upon" not to undertake any activity related to missiles "designed to be capable of" delivering nuclear weapons. Iran says it is not involved in any such missile work and has no such warheads.
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