Iran rebuilds defenseindustrial capacity after recent conflicts Defense Ministry

Iran rebuilds defense-industrial capacity after recent conflicts: Defense Ministry

TEHRAN — Iran is moving to replenish strategic weapons stocks and expand its defense-industrial capacity following two recent conflicts, with the Ministry of Defense focusing on production resilience, indigenous technology and lessons learned from combat, Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik said.

Speaking to IRNA, Talaei-Nik said the government had provided sustained support to the Armed Forces throughout the conflicts. The support covered weapons, ammunition, equipment and other military materiel while efforts were made to maintain essential civilian supplies.

Talaei-Nik said attacks had affected around 25 provinces to varying degrees. He described the confrontation as asymmetric, with Iran facing opponents possessing significantly greater military resources and access to regional logistical and operational support. Despite this disparity, he stated, Iran’s adversaries failed to achieve their objectives.

According to Talaei-Nik, Iran’s pre-war accumulation of strategic stocks of weapons, equipment and ammunition enabled the Armed Forces to sustain operations during the fighting. The consumption of those reserves has now created a requirement for replenishment.

The spokesman also highlighted the resilience of Iran’s defense-industrial supply chain. Around 9,300 companies are involved in the country’s defense-production network, he said, with knowledge-based and private-sector firms accounting for roughly two-thirds of the industrial base in areas including components, raw materials and subsystems.

This distributed production network, Talaei-Nik said, helped maintain output even after some defense facilities were damaged.

He added that production of some weapons, equipment and ammunition had more than doubled between the 12-day war and the subsequent conflict (Ramadan war).

Talaei-Nik said Iran’s defense industry is undergoing a technological expansion, particularly in ballistic and cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). He said that domestic capabilities in several fields have moved beyond reverse engineering towards independent design and production.

The ministry is now rebuilding and expanding its industrial capacity based on operational lessons from the recent conflicts, assessments of future threats and input from scientific and research institutions.

New weapons, equipment, technical capabilities and tactics have also been prepared for potential future contingencies, Talaei-Nik said, although details would remain undisclosed to preserve operational surprise.

He argued that one of the key lessons of the conflicts was a miscalculation by Iran’s adversaries regarding the country’s ability to withstand sustained military and economic pressure.

Talaei-Nik said Iran’s core defense doctrine remains centered on “both integrated and asymmetric defense,” while operational and tactical methods are adjusted in response to changes in the battlefield and regional security environment.

The approach integrated defensive objectives with offensive operational measures intended to prevent an adversary from gaining the initiative, he said. The spokesman also pointed to improvements in Iran’s air-defense capabilities, particularly systems designed to counter advanced UAV threats.

He added that Defense Ministry personnel fatalities during the longer “Ramadan war” were approximately half those recorded during the earlier 12-day conflict, attributing the reduction partly to improved defensive capabilities and lessons learned from previous combat.

Talaei-Nik said foreign demand for Iranian defense products had been increasing before the recent conflicts. However, he stressed that replenishing domestic military stocks is now the priority, with exports dependent on production surpluses.

The spokesman said Iran manufactures more than 1,000 types of weapons, equipment and ammunition and has achieved more than 90% self-sufficiency in defense production, according to the ministry’s assessment.

He also highlighted efforts to lower production costs, stating that some Iranian defense products cost between one and 20 times less to manufacture than comparable foreign systems.

For Iran’s defense establishment, the post-conflict priority is therefore twofold: restoring stocks consumed during combat while using battlefield experience to accelerate technological development, strengthen industrial resilience, and improve operational readiness for future contingencies.

source: tehrantimes.com