Iran said on Sunday that it developed and deployed more advanced drones and missiles during the recent 40-Day conflict, highlighting what officials described as continued progress in the country’s military capabilities despite the fighting.
Iranian Army spokesperson Mohammad Akrami Nia said new military equipment entered service during the conflict after completing research and development.
“We recently used new drones whose research and development phases had already begun, and we were able to deploy them during the war,” Akrami Nia said.
He added that Iranian forces also employed upgraded missiles that he said were more advanced than those previously used by the country’s armed forces.
READ: Iran urges US to set timeline for ‘unconditional’ Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon
The remarks come amid continued assessments by Iranian military officials of the conflict and its impact on the country’s defence capabilities.
Earlier, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said Iran had emerged from the conflict stronger than it was at the outset.
“Iran is much stronger today than it was in the early days of the war, both militarily and in terms of its defensive capabilities,” Shekarchi said.
He rejected claims that Iran had suffered a strategic setback during the conflict, arguing that Iranian forces had inflicted greater losses on US forces than those sustained by Iran.
Shekarchi also said the conflict had demonstrated Iran’s ability to continue developing its military capabilities during wartime.
His remarks come amid continuing regional tensions following the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel, as Tehran continues to emphasise advances in its missile and drone programmes.
READ: Report: US reassessing relationship with Israel under ‘America First’ policy
