Iran to open several "very important" defense projects: minister

TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced Sunday that Iran plans to inaugurate several "very important" defense projects in the fields of missile, ammunition and sea, the local satellite Press TV reported.

The projects will be launched on Tuesday in the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the occasion of the national "Defense Industry Day," Vahidi was quoted as saying.

The Iranian nation and armed forces of the Islamic Republic have thwarted the "biggest dangers and threats posed against the country's territorial integrity," he said according to the report.

Mohammad Eslami, deputy head of the Industry and Research Institute of the Iranian Defense Ministry, said Saturday that Iran will unveil the new generation of its long-range cruise missiles on the occasion of "Defense Industry Day."

"The (new) missile has a longer reach compared to (Iran's) previous cruise missiles," Eslami was quoted as saying by the Press TV.

"With accurate programming, these missiles can target the enemy quickly and with the speed of lightning," he said.

In July, Iran said that it test-fired two ballistic missiles with the range of 1,900 km into the Indian Ocean from the desert area of Iran's central province of Semnan, in the Iranian Bahman month, Jan. 21 to Feb. 20. And in June, it announced the launching of a radar system which could detect cruise and ballistic missiles.

The Islamic Republic has made considerable progress in the past decades in developing medium and long-range missiles, and Teheran has reiterated that its missile capability is "a defensive tool against invasions."