WANA (Aug 22) – Iran’s Defense Ministry says the country has doubled its production of weapons and defense equipment over the past year, while production of some strategic and high-priority items reportedly increased to more than three times normal levels during the recent war.
Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Defense, said the increase was driven by the development of a nationwide defense-industrial ecosystem involving the Defense Ministry, armed forces, universities, knowledge-based companies and the private sector.
He said that despite damage to some parts of Iran’s defense industry during the 12-day war, production did not stop. Instead, output of certain priority defense products increased significantly. According to Talaei-Nik, Iran is now planning to triple overall production of defense equipment and weapons, with four- to five-fold increases projected in some areas.
Expanding the Defense Supply Chain
Talaei-Nik also said the number of private and knowledge-based companies involved in Iran’s defense supply chain has risen from around 8,000 to between 9,300 and 9,400 over the past year, representing an increase of roughly 20 percent.
He said more than 1,000 types of weapons, defense systems and equipment are now being produced with the participation of these companies. He added that 76 percent of defense research projects completed over the past year have reached the product stage.
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Fewer Public Weapons Reveals to Preserve Strategic Surprise
The Defense Ministry spokesperson also explained that restrictions on publicly displaying new weapons and the suspension of some military exhibitions do not indicate a slowdown in weapons development.
Instead, he said the measures are intended to protect military information and prevent adversaries from gaining detailed knowledge of Iran’s defense capabilities.
Talaei-Nik said military commanders continue to have full oversight of the development of ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, air-defense systems and other military equipment.
Iran’s Drive for Defense Self-Sufficiency
Talaei-Nik also highlighted Iran’s long-term effort to reduce its reliance on foreign weapons. He said domestic production accounted for roughly 10 percent of Iran’s defense needs before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, compared with around 90 percent today.
According to the Defense Ministry official, Iran now produces more than 1,000 types of advanced defense systems and ranks among the world’s top 10 countries in missile capabilities, while also being among the leading countries in drone technology.
He also said some Iranian defense systems comparable to foreign products are manufactured at roughly one-tenth—and in some cases one-twentieth—the cost of their foreign counterparts.