TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said the new Iranian battle tank, 'Karrar', will come into operation in a special ceremony within days.

Speaking to FNA, the Iranian commander said the battle tank is as capable as Russia's T-90 tank and perhaps even better, adding that Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan and several other high-ranking officials will attend the inauguration ceremony.


He noted that the country also plans to purchase a shipment of T-90 tanks from Russia too.


Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari announced earlier that his forces have been equipped with the home-made state-of-the-art tanks named 'Karrar' with features similar to the Russian T-90 tanks.


"Karrar tanks have been delivered to the combat units of the Ground Force," General Heidari told reporters last week.


He also underlined plans to mount new, advanced and state-of-the-art systems on Karrar and Zolfaqar tanks.


Asked about the Ground Force's achievements in building anti-armored systems, General Heidari said, "We have modern and state-of-the-art equipment which can be used in proxy wars."


"The defense industry designed and built the battle tank from scratch. If not better, it's still as deadly as the Russian T-90," Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said in an interview with the state-run TV last Tuesday.


He said "Karrar" stands among the most modern battle tanks in the world.


By Fars News Agency