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Iran Prefers Producing, Not Buying, Arms

Iran Prefers Producing, Not Buying, Arms
Iran Prefers Producing, Not Buying, Arms

A lawmaker said Iran has focused its defense strategy on acquiring the expertise to design and manufacture weapons, rather than purchasing them from foreign countries.

“Iran’s strategy does not involve purchasing military weapons, rather it is aimed at self-sufficiency in producing them,” Kamal Dehqani Firouzabadi also told ICANA in a recent talk.

The remarks came in reaction to Russia’s deals with Turkey and Saudi Arabia to supply them with the S-400 missile defense system, which is a more advanced version of the S-300 system purchased by Iran in 2007.

Pointing to the domestic capabilities to develop arms, the lawmaker said, “The [Defense] ministry enjoys the technology and expert human resources to manufacture the equipment needed to implement the country’s deterrent strategy.”

Firouzabadi noted that Iran does not feel the need to sign a contract with Russia on the S-400 system.

Russians showed bad faith in the delivery of the S-300 missiles. Although the $800-million dollar deal for the defense system was sealed in 2007, Iran received it only in 2016.

Moscow first refused to honor the contract, using UN sanctions against Tehran as a pretext.

Eventually in 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed the ban on the delivery of the batteries and subsequently, Moscow signed a new contract to supply the missiles.

 

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