Tasnim� Iran�s Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi highlighted the country�s self-sufficiency in producing military hardware, saying that the Islamic Republic has manufactured a missile defense system better than the Russian-made S-300.





�Today, we produce our needed military equipment,� Major General Salehi said in a speech in Tehran on Thursday, addressing a graduation ceremony of Army cadets.

While the Islamic Republic has purchased S-300, it has also manufactured and will manufacture models superior to it, he added.

The Army commander further highlighted Iran�s plan to have extensive presence in international waters and said the country�s armed forces are ready to counter any threat.

In a military exercise dubbed �Damavand� last week, the air defense forces employed the Russian-made S300-PMU2 missile system to track and destroy a ballistic missile.

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.

Tehran has always assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to the regional countries, saying that the Islamic Republic�s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.