- Iran has established weapon production facilities in several countries, says defence minister
- Missile development remains a central focus for Iran's military after conflict with Israel
- Iran tested new advanced and manoeuvrable warheads in the past year
Iran's defence minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, has said that the Islamic Republic has set up weapon production facilities in “several countries,” roughly two months after the nation was involved in a deadly aerial war with Israel.
Mr Nasirzadeh's comments came during a televised interview with the Iranian news agency Young Journalists Club.
Mr Nasirzadeh said that “missile development” remains a central focus for Iran's military. “After the war with Israel, priorities may change,” he said. The minister also suggested that the factories “will likely be officially opened and announced in the near future," The Times of Israel reported.
Speaking of recent progress, Mr Nasirzadeh said that “new warheads in the past year that are both advanced and manoeuvrable” had been tested. He added that had the 12-day conflict in June lasted longer, Israeli forces would have been unable to intercept Iranian missiles, according to Iran International.
“If the war had gone 15 days, in the last three days the Israelis would not have been able to hit any of our missiles,” he said, adding this pushed Israel to accept a US-brokered ceasefire.
The Minister said that Tehran refrained from using one of its latest weapons during the conflict, the Qassem Basir missile, calling it “the most precise weapon”. The Qassem Basir, an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile, reportedly has a range of about 1,200 kilometres.
Mr Nasirzadeh's remarks coincided with Iran's naval exercises on August 21, when the country's forces test-fired cruise missiles at surface targets in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean. This was Iran's first military exercise since the end of its 12-day conflict with Israel.
Decades of US sanctions imposed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution have restricted Tehran's ability to import modern weaponry, compelling the country to rely on domestic development and upgrades of ageing systems, the Iran International report stated.
On June 13, Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military sites, along with residential areas, resulting in over 1,000 deaths, including senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks that claimed dozens of lives in Israel.
The United States intervened on June 22, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. The hostilities came to an end with a ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington on June 24.
