Majles Speaker says Iran 'must build up militarily'

Unclassified

Document ID: IAP20001128000091

Version Number: 01

Region: Near East/South Asia

Sub-Region: South Asia

Country: Iran

Topic: DOMESTIC POLITICAL, INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL, LEADER, MILITARY, URGENT

Source-Date: 11/28/2000

Majles Speaker says Iran 'must build up militarily'

 IAP20001128000091 Tehran IRNA in English 2034 GMT 28 Nov 00 

[FBIS Transcribed Text]

Tehran, Nov 28, IRNA -- Parliamentary Speaker Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karroubi here Tuesday stressed that Iran must build up militarily because, he said, the country lies at a crisis-prone zone. 

     Karroubi told a group of Defense Ministry officers that the sixth majlis (parliament) is the best supporter of the moral, ethical and religious values in the society. 

     Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said at the same gathering that the main strategy of his ministry is to beef up of Iran's defensive capabilities. 

     He said that Iran has in recent years managed to manufacture missiles and other war gadget.   He noted that the first locally-manufactured 52-seater passenger plane would fly over the central city of Isfahan in mid-February. 

     Meanwhile, on Sunday Shamkhani said that Iran is close to becoming self-sufficient in the manufacture of shore-to-sea cruise missiles. 

     He said that despite allegations of the U.S.   officials that Iran is incapable of obtaining such a technology, the country is on the verge of self-sufficiency. 

     He warned that Iran's territorial "waters is the hotbed for future threats and for opportunities for the Islamic Republic of Iran." 

     Iran's navy announced in September that it was about to launch the first locally-built mini-vessel capable of functioning as a rocket-launcher and destroyer. 

     In August, Iran launched its first domestically-manufactured mini submarine capable of transporting commandos and planting mines in the waters of the Persian Gulf off Bandar Abbas port. 

     The submarine is versatile and can be used for various purposes at the high seas such as making reconnaissance patrols and dropping commandos, planting mines and guiding projectiles. 

     The bitter eight-year war with Iraq prompted Iran to opt for self-sufficiency in weapons manufacture.  

 [Description of Source: Tehran IRNA -- official state-run news agency]

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