Iran announces several military, scientific achievements in past week

In the past week, Iranian officials announced several military and scientific achievements. On Saturday, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi opened the mass production line of naval Zafar (Victory) cruise missile. The anti-vessel, short-range missile equipped with radar system can hit small and average-sized targets with high precision, the state IRIB TV website reported. The missile can be instated on the light and fast moving vessels and has high capability in electronic wars with high destructive power and it is totally native and was designed and constructed by Iranian experts, according to IRIB TV. On Friday, Iran announced that it "successfully" launched an observation satellite into orbit under a presidential decree. The spacecraft, named Navid (Herald) and which weighs 50 kilograms, can take pictures in low attitudes of about 250 to 375 km from the Earth. The satellite was completely designed and built by Iranian experts at the Science and Technology University in Tehran, said Mohammadsaeid Jabalameli, head of the university. Iran, a founding member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, launched its first domestically-made data-processing satellite, the Omid (Hope) into space in 2009. On Jan. 31, the Iranian state television officially launched an international channel in Spanish. The channel called "Hispan TV" first started to air programs on Dec. 21, 2011 for 16 hours a day and was officially launched last Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Iran's Foreign Minister Ali- Akbar Salehi and the ambassadors of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia. The TV network aims to reinforce the cultural bonds, and to bridge the gap with the peoples of Spanish-speaking countries, and to introduce Islamic Iran's traditions, through airing programs for Hispanic addresses round the clock, according to the official IRNA news agency. It will air programs in the fields of news, films and series, documentaries, reports, exclusive interviews, in addition to different political, social, and economic programs from Tehran, said the report. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the inauguration ceremony via video link. All nations are in need of peace, security, freedom, progress and welfare and it is necessary to enhance cooperation, communication and collective efforts for such wishes to materialize, said Ahmadinejad. He stressed that close communications, exchange of views, and unity are of significance for protecting the basic rights of people, adding that the media can play a crucial role in this regard. On Jan. 30, Iran's Defense Industries Organization unveiled a domestically manufactured smart laser-guided projectile. Iran's defense minister said in the ceremony that "This ammunition (named the Basir) is guided by laser and has been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts for the first time in the country." "This smart ammunition is capable of hitting and destroying bridges, tanks, military equipment, command posts, and moving targets," said Vahidi. "The built-in laser system of this ammunition can track, identify, locate, and determine the distance of intended targets," he said. Vahidi added that the ammunition can also be used in the battles which take place in mountainous areas and can destroy heavily fortified bunkers and the enemy's defense systems. Last Monday, Mehdi Iraji, the Iranian aeronautics engineer, said Iran will unveil a new domestically-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with high capabilities and versatile features in future. Iraji said that the new remote-controlled aircraft, called A1, has a maximum flight level of 10,000 feet. It is capable of travelling for at least two hours, and can carry a 5-kg payload, Iraji added. The unmanned aircraft is also equipped with sound, chemical and color recognition systems, as well as other sensors, he said, adding that the drone runs on hi-octane gas mixed with a percentage of oil. Vahidi said last Sunday that the Islamic republic would soon unveil a new domestically-manufactured naval surveillance plane. The new maritime patrol plane is remote-controlled and has high flight duration, enabling it to keep maritime areas under surveillance via optical and radar sub-systems, Vahidi announced. The surveillance aircraft also has the capacity to load and upload military hardware and can better conduct reconnaissance missions, he said. In the pat years it has not been unusual for the Iranian military officials to announce the production or testing military equipment before and during the ceremonies that are held to celebrate the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic revolution from February 1 to 11. In response to Western sanctions on the country, including the recent U.S. and EU embargo on Iran's oil exports, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said Friday that Iran benefits from the Western sanctions and that the sanctions have helped the potentials within the country bloom and prompted the country to grow domestically. He said that in face of Western sanctions Iran has proved that it "turns to the internal potentials and grows domestically." He referred to the military advancements and nuclear enrichment progress of the country and said that such achievements were made as the Islamic republic came under diverse sanction pressures from the Western countries.