Hatami made the remarks when he paid a visit to the exhibition of achievements of the Ministry of Defense in the field of ground combat on Tuesday.
"Strengthening and upgrading the missile power of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the first goal of the Ministry of Defense," he said.
He also noted, "Strengthening the areas of air defense, air combat, naval and ground combat are other priorities of the defense industry."
Referring to the strategic importance of ground combat in wars and battles, Hatami said, "The field of ground combat is important because it establishes and determines the defense power of each country on the battlefield."
"In recent years, we have been able to achieve significant achievements in the field of ground combat, especially in the field of anti-tank missiles and surface-to-surface guided bombs, tactical vehicles and smart weapons," the Iranian minister added.
Hatami said that one of the highlights of the defense industry is meeting the diverse and advanced needs of the armed forces during the period of maximum and oppressive sanctions.
"Under the guidance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, very good interaction has been established with the Armed Forces, especially with the private sector and knowledge-based companies and universities across the country, and we have tried to use all national capacities to provide maximum power," he highlighted.
Defense Minister also pointed to the cooperation and interaction of the defense industry with other industries in the country, saying, "With the escalation of the oppressive sanctions, we were able to provide significant assistance to civilian fields such as automobiles, oil and petrochemical industries, railways, telecommunications, mines, and etc."
Earlier, referring to the achievements of the Ministry of Defense in the field of ground combat, Hatami said, "Today, we have gained various achievements in various fields, which are not limited to ground combat, and in the field of missiles, we are undoubtedly one of the world powers, and in the field of UAVs, we are even better than the world's top powers."
ZZ/5220123