TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's weaponry and defense equipment production has doubled over the past 12 months, a senior official said.
In an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Friday evening, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said that since the beginning of the war in late February, the country's production of certain strategic military products and equipment had increased more than threefold.
The increase was achieved despite the fact that limited parts of Iran's defense industry sections were targeted during the 12-day war with Israel in June last year, said the official.
Becoming stronger is the only way to counter foreign powers seeking to attack Iran's independence, he said.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing the country's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as U.S. bases and assets in the region.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the two sides failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. ■
