Iran confirms plans to buy Russia’s T-90 tanks

TEHRAN, December 16. /TASS/. Iran’s Ground Force Command has transferred a proposal to the Iranian General Staff on the purchase of Russian-made T-90 tanks, Ground Force Commander, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on the sidelines of a conference on army draft held in the province of North Khorasan on Wednesday.

"The talks with representatives of the Russian side have been held and the corresponding proposal on the purchase of T-90 tanks has been transferred to the General Staff of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces," the news agency ISNA quoted the Iranian general as saying.

"Currently, T-72 tanks are the backbone of our armor. These armored vehicles have proved to be fairly good in combat operations. They are produced by enterprises of our defense industry. At the same time, we see that the T-90 tank possesses better combat characteristics and meets all the requirements we set to the modern armor," the commander of the Iranian ground forces said.

"In addition to tanks, we have the need for acquiring other types of armaments, such as helicopters, and also weapons and combat equipment for individual use. All this has been included in the list of armaments, which we proposed to the General Staff for acquisition," the general said.

"The Iranian defense industry has strong potential. Nevertheless, we will constantly take care of modernizing it," he added.

Speaking about a potential threat of the imposition of repeat US sanctions on Iran due to further development of the Iranian missile program, the commander of Iran’s ground forces said: "We’re using all the possibilities for strengthening the country’s security and defense capability, proceeding from the principles of ‘containment.’"