IRAN UNVEILS DOMESTIC FIGHTER JET
TEHRAN: Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet on Tuesday, with President Hassan Rouhani insisting that Tehran’s military strength was only designed to deter enemies and was aimed at creating “lasting peace”.
Images on state television showed Rouhani sitting in the cockpit of the new “Kowsar” fourth-generation fighter at the National Defence Industry exhibition in Tehran.
State media said it had “advanced avionics” and multipurpose radar, and that it was “100% indigenously made” for the first time.
“When I speak of our readiness to defend, it means we seek lasting peace. If we lack readiness, we welcome war,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.
“Some think when we increase our military power, this means we seek war. (But) this is peaceseeking because we don’t war to happen,” he added.
“If we don’t have a deterrent... it gives a green light for others to enter this country.”
The plane was first publicly announced on Saturday by defence minister Amir Hatami, who had said it would be unveiled on Wednesday.
He gave few details of the project, focusing instead on Iran’s efforts to upgrade its missile defences.
Hatami said the defence programme was motivated by memories of the missile attacks Iran suffered during its eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s, and by repeated threats from Israel and the United States that “all options are on the table” in dealing with the Islamic republic.