Iran Defense Ministry Spokesman Warns of New Surprises in Future Wars

In a recent interview with local Iranian media, Brigadier General Talaei-Nik, the spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, revealed that the country has prepared new "surprises" for future wars, which will be unveiled on the battlefield. He noted that the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian faced highly sensitive circumstances over the past two years, including two wars, security threats, and rapid regional developments.

Despite the geographic scope of the attacks and the enemy's heavy firepower, the government supported the Army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Central Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters in meeting the needs of the Armed Forces, preventing the enemy from achieving its objectives. Talaei-Nik said that the recent wars, despite their losses, also created opportunities for political, social, scientific, industrial, and defense-related progress.

He added that the defense industry had built strategic stocks of weapons, equipment, and ammunition before the war, while production continued during the war through a network of about 9,300 knowledge-based and private companies. These companies support two-thirds of the defense industry, and production of some equipment increased several-fold. According to Talaei-Nik, Iran's arms production has more than doubled since the 12-day war, with several-fold increases targeted for some products.

Iran is moving toward a leading global position in areas such as long-range and cruise missiles and drones, while arms exports will continue based on available surplus. The Defense Ministry spokesman stressed that Iran produces more than 1,000 types of weapons, equipment, and ammunition, with defense self-sufficiency exceeding 90 percent. He said that the defense industry has moved beyond reverse engineering and achieved indigenous technologies and designs in some areas.

Talaei-Nik described Iran's resilience as the main "surprise" of the war, saying the enemy had expected the country's military, defense, economic, and social capabilities to collapse in the early days, but the opposite occurred. He said that Iran's defense strategy remains combined and asymmetric, combining the preservation and strengthening of deterrence with offensive approaches within a defensive framework to prevent the enemy from seizing the initiative. He added that strengthened counter-drone defenses and lessons learned after the 12-day war significantly reduced Defense Ministry casualties in the subsequent war.

He stressed that additional surprises in weapons, equipment, technology, and tactics have been prepared in line with the principle of surprise and will be revealed on the battlefield. According to Mehr News Agency, these statements underscore Iran's continued focus on enhancing its defense capabilities despite international pressures.