Amid Iran's ongoing naval drills with China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani on Wednesday stressed that Tehran has gained self-sufficiency in military production before revealing that the country's exports of arms and ammunition have witnessed a five-fold increase in the past 24 months.
"Due to the innovations and the kind of weapons that are being manufactured, this amount will further increase in the future," Ashtiani told reporters during a military event in Tehran.
Also, the minister underlined that Iran was expanding its defense cooperation in the region with nations like Qatar and Armenia.
Elsewhere, a close cooperation in the military field was being pushed with Russia and Turkey.
Iran's defense ties with Russia in particular have been following a positive trajectory, with both sovereign states joining hands to undermine the Western economic sanctions levied on them by the US and its allies.
The two nations are currently part of the "Marine Security Belt 2024" military drills in the Indian Ocean alongside China.