The enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran have made every effort in the past years to stop Iranian factories from operating, General Hatami said during the opening ceremony of a military exhibit in Tehran on Thursday.

He said the defense ministry, despite all bans and pressures, has so far managed to make great progress in producing different equipment.

The country is self-reliant and currently capable of manufacturing over 38,000 military gear parts and equipment without the help of other countries, the minister said.

Ever since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the United States and its allies have been taking the country under indiscriminate economic and trade sanctions.

The US lifted the nuclear-related ones among the bans after the conclusion of a multi-national nuclear accord between Iran and world powers in 2015. In 2018, however, it unilaterally and illegally left the deal and returned the sanctions.

Over the past years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing military equipment and hardware despite sanctions and economic pressures imposed on the country.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Saturday ceremony held to unveil new homegrown military equipment, Major General Hossein Salami said the IRGC has not relied on foreigners to manufacture any weapon.

“In the near future, we’ll witness the coming into operation of surprising systems,” the commander said, stressing that the foreign attempts to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran would not affect the country’s defense power at all.

While Iran is faced with an international arms embargo and the threats posed by the US and its allies, local scientists have taken the opportunity to fulfill the country’s defense needs with domestic capabilities, the general said.

Major General Salami also praised the IRGC technicians for manufacturing a broad range of weapons, increasing the destructive power of weaponry, boosting their accuracy, making smaller arms, and automating the weapons.

Last week, the top commander highlighted the high level of Iran’s defense preparedness, saying that this has forced the enemies not to think of military options any longer.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Back in February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed 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 at the time.

In a ceremony on Saturday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami unveiled the new homegrown military products manufactured by the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Force.

One of the items was BTR-50 personnel carrier, a modified version of Makran personnel carrier, which enjoys an improved body and a new turret.

The vehicles’ turret is equipped with a fire-control system, thermal night-vision cameras, and a laser distance measurement system that can hit surface and aerial targets.

The personnel carrier’s turret also has a 30 mm caliber automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm caliber machine gun, controlled by a gunner inside the vehicle.

Another product unveiled by the IRGC was Me’raj-1 drone.

The reconnaissance UAV has a service ceiling of 12,000 feet and a maximum speed of 140 km/h.  Weighing 35 kilograms, the aircraft has a flight endurance of 10.5 hours and can carry a payload of 5 kg. With a wingspan of 3.6 meters, Me’raj-1 has a range of 1,000 kilometers and a data link system with a range of up to 150 km.

The IRGC chief also unveiled So’ban-1 machine gun, a modified version of Russian-made RPD machine gun.

Another major achievement of the IRGC unveiled this morning is a ground-penetrating radar system used for the detection of landmines and roadside bombs.

Mounted on a vehicle traveling at a speed of 10 km/h, the radar system can detect explosives hidden in the ground at a depth of up to 30 cm at a distance of 30 meters.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

In February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed 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.