There's little direct evidence about how much of Iran's military arsenal is now built at home. But many defense analysts note that Iranian engineers have had decades to copy and modify designs first obtained from abroad, including No-Dong missiles from North Korea and air defense batteries based on Russia's S-300 system and America's Hawk missiles purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.


"There's been a long learning curve for Iran," said Theodore Karasik, a regional affairs expert at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. "But compared with five or 10 years ago, Iran seems to have made significant strides. They probably aren't fully self-sufficient for defense needs, but they are moving in that direction."


Iranian officials claim they are already there. Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said the current war games highlight the futility of U.N. sanctions over Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
"The war games ... show Iran's great capability in designing, producing and using various kinds of missiles based on domestic knowledge. This showed that the sanctions imposed had no effect on Iran's missile program," Vahidi claimed in comments posted Saturday on sepahnews.com, the official website of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.


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Iran showcases homegrown arms in war games