Iran's First Vice President Aref says advanced technology development is a top government priority

First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref chaired a meeting of the Special Headquarters for Technology Development, where participants assessed the damage sustained by knowledge-based companies during what Iranian officials describe as recently imposed wars and discussed measures to help these firms restore their production capacities.

During the meeting, Aref stressed the strategic role of science and technology in ensuring the country's security and progress. He said that after securing people's livelihoods, the development of science and advanced technologies, along with support for knowledge-based companies, is the government's top priority and must be taken into serious consideration.

Pointing to the role of scientific and technological achievements in the country's defense capabilities, the first vice president said the results of the strategy for developing science and advanced technologies were witnessed during the two recent imposed wars and in the defense of the country. He described scientific and technological advancement as a strategic necessity for the country's future and said Iran must be prepared for an even greater confrontation with the enemy, who he said employs the latest scientific achievements on the battlefield.

Referring to the damage sustained by knowledge-based companies during the recent war that he attributed jointly to the United States and Israel, Aref emphasized the need for more serious and rapid action to return these companies to the production cycle. He said firms damaged as a result of the war must undergo reconstruction, modernization and improvement, that production capacity must be restored, and that their elite workforce must be retained.

Aref further stated that the country's achievements in science and technology are the result of the long-term and profound vision of the martyred Leader of the Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The meeting was reported by Mehr News Agency, which identified the gathering as the Special Headquarters for Technology Development and carried the vice president's remarks on government priorities, war damage to knowledge-based firms and plans for their recovery.