Iran’s army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami said on Sunday that recent wars and multilateral sanctions had shown the country’s military strength increasingly depends on domestic capabilities, innovation and technical expertise.
In a message congratulating Mehrdad Akhlaghi on becoming defense minister, Hatami said he expected “rapid and effective steps” to improve combat readiness, strengthen deterrence and reinforce what he called lasting national security.
“Today, the two recent imposed wars and multilateral sanctions have shown that the country’s defensive strength depends more than ever on domestic capabilities, innovation, self-reliance and the knowledge and capacity of its experts,” Hatami said.
He said the army viewed closer cooperation with the Defense Ministry as a strategic necessity and was ready to work with it on developing domestically produced equipment and meeting the armed forces’ operational needs.
Akhlaghi was approved by parliament on Sunday with 237 votes in favor, replacing Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in strikes on the first day of the war in February.