Iran voices readiness to equip Syrian army with most advanced defensive weapons

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to equip the Syrian army with the most advanced defensive military weapons and equipment.

Ashtiani made the remarks in a recent meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Lieutenant General Ali Mahmoud Abbas, pointing to the long-standing support of Iran’s Defense Ministry and Armed Forces for the Syrian military in the full-scale war against terrorist groups operating across the Arab country.

“This ministry, along with other economic and civil sectors, is prepared to launch, manufacture and equip the Syrian Armed Forces with the most advanced defensive weapons,” Iran's defense minister said.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to cooperate with the Syrian Arab Republic in building factories and launching production lines for strategic defense products to promote the security for the Syrian people," and in order to establish multilateral defense infrastructure and boost the country’s weapons power, he added.

Stressing that reliance on “indigenous power” is one of the most important components of strength for any country, Ashtiani said, “Iran's Defense Ministry has achieved productive power with the same approach in the fields of land, sea, air, aerospace, electronics, etc. and has managed to prove its role in the field of fighting terrorism and supporting oppressed nations.”

Raeisi: Current status of Iran, Syria proves righteousness of resistance against pressure

The Iranian president underlines the dismal failure of the West’s so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran and Syria.

The Syrian defense minister, for his part, underlined that the security and stability of his country has been established with the support of Iran and its true friends, saying, “Strengthening Syria's defense power will make the country more prepared to fight terrorism as one of the members of the Axis of Resistance.”

Appreciating the support of the Iranian Defense Ministry in the field of defense diplomacy, Abbas said, “Enemies will not spare any efforts to harm the brotherly and friendly relations between Syria and Iran. However, the relations between the two countries of Iran and Syria continue to grow deeper every day ... to serve the promotion of security and stability in the region.”

Ashtiani, along with a group of Iranian ministers and high-ranking officials, accompanied Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi in his historic visit to Syria last week, the first by an Iranian president since the foreign-sponsored militancy gripped the Arab country twelve years ago.

Iran was the first country to rush to Syria's aid following the 2011 outbreak of the foreign-backed violence. In 2017, military advisory assistance provided by the Islamic Republic helped the Arab nation score a monumental victory over the Daesh terrorist group.

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