Iran to proceed with missile program; Defense minister
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the administration is determined to proceed with the plans to boost the country’s missile industry in the next Iranian calendar year.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday, the defense minister said he has given the cabinet a report on the status of the country’s missile program and its progress.
He said President Hassan Rouhani and the ministers were impressed by the plans to develop various types of missiles, including air-to-air, ground-to-air, ground-to-ground, surface-to-surface, coast-to-sea, and subsurface-to-surface missiles.
The defense minister stressed that all of the plans for developing the missile industry, particularly for increasing the accuracy of missiles, will be carried out in the next Iranian year (to start on March 21).
Hatami also said that greater missile power will enhance the country’s deterrent capabilities.
In February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country’s missile program.
“Without a moment of hesitation, the country must move to acquire whatever is necessary for defense, even if the whole world is opposed to it,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on February 18.
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