TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s latest
war games have featured the predictable blaze of missile tests and an
unexpected peek at underground launch silos. There’s one bit of military
showmanship, though, that ties it all together: Promoting the Made in
Iran label.
Boasting about
homegrown defense technology is growing louder as Iran claims U.N.
sanctions cannot blunt efforts to keep pace with America’s Gulf allies —
led by Saudi Arabia — that are awash in Pentagon weaponry and taking an
increasingly tough line against Tehran.
The
10-day military exercises — which wrap up Thursday — also fit into
Iran’s narrative of growing self-sufficiency on other fronts including
equipment to create nuclear fuel and ambitions to join the club of
space-exploring nations.
There’s
little direct evidence about how much of Iran’s military arsenal is now
built at home. But many defense analysts note that Iranian engineers
have had decades to copy and modify designs first obtained from abroad,
including No-Dong missiles from North Korea and air defense batteries
based on Russia’s S-300 system and America’s Hawk missiles purchased
before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“There’s >>>
