IRGC plans to enhance missile power
Head of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the force has plans to boost cooperation with the Defense Ministry to enhance its missile power in the new administration.
Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh made the remarks in a meeting with newly-appointed Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the outlines of which was reported by Fars news agency on Saturday.
Hajizadeh stressed the need for further cooperation and said the Defense Ministry can play an effective and decisive role in enhancing the defense power of the IRGC’s Air Force.
“In the new term of the Defense Ministry, cooperation in the field of upgrading the missile power of the IRGC will be expanded,” he added.
Brigadier General Ashtiani, for his part, expressed the Defense Ministry’s readiness to interact and cooperate closely with the IRGC’s Air Force, saying, “With the extensive industrial and production capacities and platforms in the Ministry, we will be able to take big steps in providing and meeting the defense and military needs of the Armed Forces, especially the IRGC’s Air Force.”
Ashtiani described the production capabilities of the Defense Ministry in the field of missiles as “very extensive, advanced and technological,” underlining that meeting the entire needs of the IRGC’s Air Force will be the first priority of the Defense Ministry.
Iran’s Air Defense Force successfully tests the domestically-manufactured Mersad-16 missile system at the country’s central desert.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great progress in indigenously developing a broad range of equipment, making the Armed Forces self-sufficient in this regard.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the Islamic Republic will not hesitate to build up its defense capabilities, emphasizing that such abilities are entirely meant for the purpose of defense and will never be subject to negotiations.
In another meeting on Friday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami exchanged views with Brigadier General Ashtiani and discussed regional issues with the newly-appointed Defense Minister.
Salami pointed to the enemies’ attempts to exert pressure on the Iranian nation through persistence on their enmity, stressing that such feud should be dealt prudently.
The commander of the IRGC says Iranian borders enjoy full security in the hands of the country’s armed forces.
“The enemies of the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation have not given up any tactic to put pressure on the Islamic establishment and the Iranian nation, and despite their inadequacies over the last 4 decades, they continue to insist on their enmity and resentment,” Salami said.
“Every day, these deep animosities are revealed with special complexities and tricks that need to be dealt with complete intelligence and insight,” he added.
Salami underlined the need for using modern and strategic systems and equipment to deepen and develop Iran’s defense capabilities and meet the needs of the Armed Forces, especially those of the IRGC.
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