Page 51 - IRANRptDec20

9.1.12 ​Defence sector news
Iran boasts of “superpower” prowess in weapons production
US warns it will destroy any long range missiles delivered to Venezuela by Iran
Iranian officials have in recent weeks briefed local media on their claims that Iran is now a “superpower” in terms of weapons and military equipment production.
One report in ​Hamshahri​ followed the showcasing of new weaponry developed by domestic defence manufacturers, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and anti-aircraft weapons given the limelight. Some models were said to be technologically superior to Russian, Chinese and North Korean alternatives. Iran can most particularly claim to be a drone production “superpower”, the report said, adding that it was one of a few countries boasting a huge variety of UAVs, with some of the largest models known to the market and also small drones.
Various media reports described how Iran now claims it is able to launch rockets in multiple directions from one location, with various missiles and drones all controlled from one command centre.
At the exhibition, Iran also demonstrated several of its latest long-range radars, again domestically produced.
One exhibition highlight was the RQ-170 drone, captured from the US in a regional ‘radar capture’ operation and safely landed in Iran in 2011. Iranian engineers have over the years reverse-engineered aspects of the drone to develop their own drone models, officials said.
Iran has indicated that it would like to move ahead with the purchase of the Russian-made advanced S-400 missile defence system now that a UN conventional arms embargo against Tehran is no longer in effect (although the US disputes that, claiming it has unilaterally been able to keep it alive). Russia’s Ambassador to Tehran, Levan Dzhagaryan, lately told Iranian media that Moscow would have no issues in exporting the S-400 to Iran.
“As you know, [surface-to-air missile system] S-300s were delivered [to Iran]. Russia has no problems with the supply of S-400s, and there were no problems from the very beginning,” the diplomat said in an interview with Resalat​.
Moscow was not afraid of threats from Washington that countries selling weapons to Iran would face sanctions, the envoy added.
Moscow and Tehran signed a contract for the supply of the S-300s, worth around $900mn, back in 2007. The UN arms embargo followed shortly after, but the Russians sent a first batch of S-300s to Iran in direct contravention of the weapons trading ban.
The US has warned that it will destroy any delivery of Iranian long-range missiles to Venezuela.
"The transfer of long-range missiles from Iran to Venezuela is not acceptable to the United States and will not be tolerated or permitted," Elliott Abrams, US Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela, told Fox News on October 26, adding: "We will make every effort to stop shipments of long-range missiles, and if somehow they get to Venezuela they will be eliminated there."
Whether the comments might be construed as the Trump administration intending to appear tough during the campaign run-up to the November 3 presidential election is open to question given that there is no known evidence that Iran and Venezuela have been discussing missile shipments, although the Maduro regime has indicated it would be open to such deals with Tehran. Abrams insisted that Tehran and Caracas would likely try to prepare such an arms deal.
"Iran has announced its intention to engage in arms sales, and Venezuela is
51​ IRAN Country Report December 2020 www.intellinews.com