Arms Exports and the Position of Iran's Defense Industries

According to Tasnim News Agency, Hossein Dehghan, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support, stated on Thursday, June 6, that the demand for Iranian-made weapons is high and the products of the country's military industries have the capacity for export to foreign markets. Dehghan, who participated in the unveiling ceremony of various fuse production lines for missiles, rockets, and bombs weighing 250 to 500 pounds, emphasized that the machinery used for producing parts of these weapons is indigenous and the utilization of new technologies in defense industries has significantly increased their efficiency. These statements, along with numerous remarks from commanders, senior officers, and heads of the self-sufficiency jihad organizations of the Army and the IRGC in recent years, raise questions about the position of the Islamic Republic's defense industries, the extent of its arms exports, and which countries or groups are seeking Iranian-made weapons. On February 18, 2007, nearly ten years ago, the analytical news site Asr Iran downplayed the defense industries before the 1979 revolution and noted that their production was limited to light weapons and various types of ammunition, stating: "The combined use of modern electronic and structural technologies and the alignment of the Islamic Republic of Iran's military programs with contemporary knowledge and technology have enabled Iran to become the first military power in the region in the field of military manufacturing and mass production of weapons, including long-range missiles, tanks, and armored vehicles, exporting military equipment to 50 countries worldwide." The history of defense industries was established during the Shah's era under the "import substitution policy," aimed at producing, assembling, and maintaining weapons, ultimately replacing imports with domestic products. The military industries before the revolution consisted of four organizations: the Military Industries Organization; Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries; Iran Helicopter Manufacturing Industries; and Iran Electronics Industries, which was established six years before the revolution. In 1962, the Military Industries Organization (under the supervision of the then Ministry of War) took over the management of all military factories in the country and, along with other organizations, met some of the army's needs over fifteen years until the 1979 revolution, including light weapons and related ammunition, various batteries, tires for different vehicles, explosives, types of shells, and fuses for mortars and machine guns (under German license). Additionally, Iran's military industries began assembling helicopters, jeeps, military trucks, and trailers, and was on the verge of producing the RPG-7, the BM-21 Grad rocket launcher, the SA-7 shoulder-fired missile, and various types of artillery tubes, which were halted with the 1979 revolution, and within less than a year, the structure of the Military Industries Organization collapsed. With the onset of the Iran-Iraq War and the imposition of international economic and arms sanctions led by the United States against the Islamic Republic, the IRGC was tasked with reorganizing Iran's military industries to meet some of the increasing needs of the armed forces, including light weapons, ammunition, and military parts. These industries developed under the management of the IRGC and significant investments from the Ministry of Defense, and by 1989, two years after the war ended, 240 factories and nearly 12,000 private workshops employing 45,000 people were meeting a significant portion of the country's arms needs. At this time, military industries accounted for about 15% of the total industries in the country. The Islamic Republic has sought to meet the arms needs of its armed forces in line with its defensive doctrine and has made continuous efforts towards self-sufficiency. After the war, the country sought to develop its missile technology with assistance from foreign countries, and in 1991, it produced its first ballistic missile, the Shahab-1, with a range of 300 kilometers, based on the Scud-B missile. Two years later, it produced the Shahab-2 missile with a range of 500 kilometers and now manufactures various types of ballistic and cruise missiles. Although the Islamic Republic considers itself self-sufficient in missile technology, the influence and effects of Russian, Chinese, and North Korean technologies can be clearly observed in the missiles produced by Iran. In the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War and the election of Hashemi Rafsanjani as President of Iran in 1989, several measures were taken to strengthen the foundations of the country's defense industries and its management structure, and with the elimination of the Ministry of the IRGC, the administration and policymaking of all branches of the country's defense industries were transferred to the Ministry of Defense. Simultaneously, the activities of these industries became more focused on transferring technology from abroad. Currently, the institutions and organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Defense regarding weapons include: the Defense Industries Organization; Aerospace Industries Organization; Aviation Industries Organization; Iran Electronics Industries; Marine Industries Organization; Malek Ashtar Industrial University; Defense Industries Educational and Research Institute; Geographic Organization of the Armed Forces; and Power Battery Manufacturing Company. The range of products from military industries includes the following major groups of weapons and equipment: Aircraft (such as Saeqeh, second-generation Azarakhsh, and modeled after the American F-5); Helicopters (such as optimized Shabaviz based on American Bell-205 and 206, Shahid-278 and Shahid-285 evolved from Bell-206, and Bell-214 made through reverse engineering); Drones (various types such as Shahid-129 and Fotros with a range of 2000 kilometers, flight endurance of up to 30 hours, and a ceiling of 25,000 feet); Aircraft parts and optimization of American F-4, F-5, and F-14; various simulators and radar systems with different ranges; medium-range ballistic missiles (such as Shahab-3, Sajil, and Emad), short-range missiles (such as Shahab-2, Fateh-110, and Qiyam-1), and cruise missiles (such as Nasr-1, Zelzal, and anti-ship Qader); anti-tank missiles (such as Toofan modeled after the American TOW missile and Tousan and Dehlavieh modeled after Russian missiles); various types of recoil-less or kick-less rifles (modeled or reverse-engineered from Russian and American rifles); anti-aircraft weapons (such as Sayyad-1 evolved from Chinese weapons, Mersad based on the American "MIM-23 Hawk" defense system, and Bavar-373, which is claimed to be evolved from the Russian "S-300" system); various bombs and air-to-ground missiles (such as Fater and Fakour-90 missiles based on American "Sidewinder" and "Phoenix"); naval and anti-ship missiles (such as Ra'ad, Kowsar, Nasr, Noor, Qader, and Persian Gulf, which are modeled or evolved from various Chinese missiles), torpedoes (such as Hoot, which is a copy of the Russian Shkval missile), various boats and corvettes, small submarines (Midget), and destroyers; tanks, armored personnel carriers, and military vehicles (such as Zulfiqar tank based on the American M-60 tank, Safir tank modified from Russian T-54, 55, and 95 tanks, and the Mubariz tank optimized from the British Chieftain tank); and various types of rockets, mortars, artillery, machine guns, and small arms. The long road to self-sufficiency in arms needs during the Iran-Iraq War, international sanctions, and political and economic isolation, and consequently technological isolation, compelled the Islamic Republic to pursue self-sufficiency and, with significant investment and effort, it has expanded its military industries' capabilities. The Islamic Republic has made progress in producing weapons with simple and uncomplicated technology with its indigenous capacities, but it still relies on foreign sources for advanced and complex technology and has a long way to go to achieve indigenous capabilities for producing such weapons. The production of missiles in Iran has a high priority, but it still requires assistance from some foreign countries for their production, and so far, it has produced most of its weapons by modeling or evolving foreign weapons or relying on reverse engineering. The position of arms exports and users of Iranian weapons: Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, the former Minister of Defense of Iran, emphasized in 1979 that the quality of Iranian-made weapons and equipment is competitive with those produced by advanced countries, stating: "The defense industries have the capacity to produce any type of weapon without needing other countries, and a large amount of them is exported to 57 countries." In this regard, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Iran exported at least $200 million worth of weapons and equipment between 2010 and 2014, which was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1747 against the Islamic Republic. Nevertheless, the value of Iran's arms exports over four years is negligible compared to major exporting countries and is even significantly less than Turkey. In the last five years, 58 countries worldwide exported military equipment, and the total annual value of arms transactions exceeded $76 billion. During this period, the top six ranks were held by the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with these six countries holding nearly 79% of the global arms market share. The value of arms exports from these six countries in 2014 exceeded $21.5 billion, with more than half going to the United States. In the same year, Turkey, ranked 14th, sold $274 million worth of weapons and equipment to other countries, and Israel's arms exports in that year reached $5.66 billion. The Islamic Republic has not disclosed the names of its arms buyers for obvious reasons, but it appears that some countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America may be among the buyers of Iranian-made weapons. Proxy groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and Shia groups in Iraq are recipients of Iranian weapons in the Middle East. Additionally, reports indicate that some non-state actors, including armed Islamist groups, insurgents, and revolutionary groups, and even groups in conflict in some countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sudan, South Sudan, and Bosnian Muslims (during the breakup of former Yugoslavia) have used Iranian-made weapons and ammunition. In conclusion, suitable weapons for proxy groups include light weapons, ammunition, anti-tank missiles equipped with explosive warheads, communication devices, night vision cameras, special sniper rifles, mortars, shoulder-fired missiles, drones, and artillery rockets, and the Islamic Republic's industries can meet these needs given the range of military equipment they produce. Considering the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, the JCPOA, and the gradual lifting of international sanctions, it is expected that Iran will increase its arms exports. Moreover, the lifting of sanctions could pave the way for Iran to access advanced technology, consequently enhancing the quality of the equipment produced in its defense industries. Iran has a long way to go to achieve arms self-sufficiency and produce advanced weapons that are competitive on an international level, but it can export military equipment with simple and cheap technology to third-world countries and meet the needs of proxy groups or groups considered terrorists by international organizations or Western countries, especially since many of these weapons are not included in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and are not subject to sanctions. At the international level, the only mechanism for controlling arms transactions among countries is the "Arms Trade Treaty" (ATT), which was adopted in April 2013 at the United Nations with 154 votes in favor, 3 against, and 23 abstentions after seven years of discussion. Iran, Syria, and North Korea opposed this treaty, while China and Russia, two major arms-exporting countries, abstained. This treaty came into force on December 24, 2014, and so far, 85 countries, including some major arms exporters like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, have ratified it, and 47 countries, including the US and Israel, have accepted and signed it but have not yet ratified it in their legislative bodies. The "Arms Trade Treaty," which monitors transactions of conventional light and heavy weapons at the international level, calls for cooperation, transparency, and responsible behavior from member countries, prohibits and considers illegal the export of weapons used for genocide, war crimes, or gross human rights violations, and seeks to prevent the supply of arms to terrorist groups.