Asgar Eftekhari, an expert in defense and security affairs at Iran's Institute for Strategic Studies, said, "The presence of U.S. forces in the region, the passive role of regional players, the strengthening of the Zionist regime's position, the United States naming Iran one of the countries in the 'axis of evil', and issues such as Pakistan and India's possession of nuclear weapons all illustrate the need to enhance the defense strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Eftekhari told the Mehr News Agency that the strategy of each political player is influenced by various factors which can be classified in four major categories.
He went on to say that the four categories are the regional and international situation, the players' goals and interests, the players' strengths, and the threats faced by the player.
He added, "Based on this classification, now, due to the recent transitions, two of the four categories have changed for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the international and regional arenas."
The expert noted that Iran's defense strategy consists of development of deterrent defense capabilities using conventional weapons with no development of nuclear weapons, increased security cooperation between countries committed to eliminating all weapons of mass destruction in the region, and enhancement of personnel, technical, and management capabilities in order to successfully deter any threat the country may face.
He stressed that the strategy is based on two principles: improvement of conventional military capabilities and no development unconventional weapons.
Eftekhari added, "Therefore, without entering an arms race and giving a pretext to arrogant powers, the conventional military capabilities of our country could be strengthened."
He said that the development of missile technology is sufficient for Iran's defense.
Calling the security situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran complicated and paradoxical, he asserted that the regional security atmosphere created by the U.S. and the Zionist regime has impeded the enhancement of Iran's defense capabilities.
He said that Iran must adopt a strategy based on high military capabilities, but this is being impeded by the current regional security tension and the concerns of other regional countries about Iran's defense strategy.
He said that Iran's current strategy is not problematic, adding that without involving the country in an arms race, it has helped enhance Iran's strategic position in a cost-effective way.
Pointing to the weak points of this strategy, he concluded that the strategy did not actually meet our needs perfectly.
He concluded by saying that, unfortunately, the balance of power in the region has shifted to Iran's disadvantage, adding that the Islamic Republic must implement foreign policy measures to compensate for this.
NP/HG
End
MNA