Iran unveils indigenous defense system, hails resistance against U.S. pressures

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday hailed Iran's growing strength against the U.S. pressures, official IRNA news agency reported.

"Iran has never been disappointed because of the enemies' plots, but rather it has stood against them even stronger," Rouhani said at a ceremony to unveil the Iranian indigenous surface-to-air missile defense system, named Bavar-373.

The U.S. pressures against Iran have "backfired," Rouhani said. "The Americans wrongly imagined that they could force Iran to surrender."

He appreciated the Iranian experts for designing and building the surface-to-air missile system.

Iran's Defense Minister Amir Hatami and senior military officials also attended the unveiling ceremony on National Defense Industry Day on Thursday.

According to the Press TV, Bavar-373 is a mobile defense system and capable of intercepting and destroying hostile targets flying at altitudes of up to 27 km.

The system employs missiles that have a maximum range of 300 km, said the report.

It also detects up to 100 targets simultaneously and engages six targets at a time.

The defense system has two search and intercept radars, which can resist electronic warfare and electromagnetic bombs, the report said.

In addition, the radars are capable of detecting anti-radiation missiles (ARM) that are used to confront air defenses, it added.

"Bavar-373 defense system is more powerful than Russia's S-300 and is more like Russia's S-400," Rouhani was quoted as saying by IRNA.

Also, Iran's defense minister said at the ceremony that Iran has managed to produce effective systems not only to counter aerial threats at low, medium and high altitudes, but also to detect, track and destroy radar-evading aircraft and missiles from a safe distance.

"We focus on the effectiveness of missiles through increasing precision, maneuverability, speed and conventional explosive power to overcome the enemy's defense systems," Hatami was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Iran's defense principle is merely based on deterrence, he stressed.

Besides, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander Hossein Salami on Thursday highlighted "positive effects" of U.S. sanctions against Iran, according to Tasnim news agency.

"U.S. sanctions cannot stop our progress," he said. "If there were no sanctions, Iran would not return to its indigenous capabilities and not achieve its economic or political independence."