Military self-sufficiency first achievement of the Islamic Revolution: senior commander

TEHRAN – One of Iran’s key achievements after the victory of the Islamic Revolution was the creation of a self-sufficient military infrastructure capable of protecting the country from various threats, a senior military commander said.

Vice Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Deputy Chief of Coordination of the Iranian Army, highlighted the milestone during a press conference during a ceremony honoring fallen army heroes from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

“When Saddam Hussein attacked the capital Tehran, we did not have the missiles to respond and even had to ration bullets. Now we have so many weapons that we can also export them,” the military leader said, adding that the “best way to protect the country is to rely on domestic capabilities.”

Shortly after the Islamic Revolution, Iran faced significant military vulnerabilities when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, backed by Western powers, launched a full-scale war against the newly established Islamic Republic.

Iran’s limited ammunition and weapons were no match for the advanced fighter jets, bombers and tanks supplied to Baghdad by Western allies. To strengthen its defense capabilities, Iran acquired Scud-B and Frog-7 ballistic missiles from Libya, originally developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and received essential training from Syria. Seeking more missile supplies, Tehran sent a delegation to North Korea and China in 1985.

Over the next three decades, Iran devoted significant resources to advancing its weapons technology. The country is now an emerging producer of missiles, drones and other military weapons in the world. Some reports suggest that even major arms exporters like Russia and China have replenished their stockpiles with Iran’s help.

Iran’s military capabilities and advanced weapons arsenal recently came into the spotlight when the country successfully struck heavily protected military targets deep within the occupied territories. Tehran’s subsequent success in averting an Israeli attack on its territory represents a further attempt at its transformed military position.