Iran’s Defence Minister says new warheads tested, weapons factories built abroad

Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has declared that Tehran has set up facilities to produce arms abroad. In an interview with the Young Journalists Club, he said, “We have built weapons factories in some countries, but for now we will not announce which ones.”

He added that “missile development” has been his top priority, although “after the war with Israel, priorities may change.” Nasirzadeh said the factories “will likely be officially opened and announced in the near future.”

Testing warheads and claiming gains

The minister also revealed that Iran had tested “new warheads in the past year that are both advanced and manoeuvrable.” He argued that Israeli missile defences struggled during June’s conflict.


“If the war had gone 15 days, in the last three days the Israelis would not have been able to hit any of our missiles,” he said, stressing that Tehran had not deployed the Qassem Basir missile, which he called “the most precise weapon.” The missile reportedly has a range of about 1,200 kilometres.

Nasirzadeh went further, saying, “In the early days, about 40% of our missiles were intercepted, but by the end of the war, 90% were striking their targets. This showed that our experience was growing while the defensive power of the other side was decreasing.”

June’s 12 day war

The 12-day conflict began on 13 June when Israeli strikes killed senior Iranian commanders, nuclear scientists and destroyed parts of the country’s defence and nuclear sites. Iran reported 1,062 deaths, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians. Retaliatory missile and drone strikes killed 32 people in Israel.

The war ended on 24 June with a ceasefire brokered by Washington. Nasirzadeh later claimed Israel was pushed into accepting the truce because its air defences were becoming less effective.

Fresh military drills

On 21 August, Iran’s navy fired cruise missiles at targets in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean, marking its first solo drills since the June conflict. Known as “Sustainable Power 1404,” these exercises followed last month’s joint Casarex 2025 naval drills with Russia in the Caspian Sea.

Iran’s Defence Ministry issued a sharp warning, saying, “Any new adventure by the enemy will be faced with a strong slap.”

Decades of US sanctions have forced Tehran to develop and modernise its own weaponry, limiting access to foreign arms imports.

Ceasefire or stage of war?

Earlier this month, Yahya Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted that the region remains on edge. “We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war. No protocol, regulation or agreement has been written between us and the US or Israel,” he told local media.

The future of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington also looks uncertain. US President Donald Trump has warned of fresh strikes if Iran resumes uranium enrichment. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has paused talks, saying that while it will not end cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, conditions are not right for “effective” negotiations.

Israel warns Hamas over hostages

As Iran signals its military ambitions, Israel has issued its own stark warning to Hamas. On 22 August, Defence Minister Israel Katz said, “The gates of hell will open on Hamas’ killers and criminals, unless they agree to Israel’s conditions of releasing the hostages and laying down arms.”

Trump’s comments fuel anger

At the same time, families of Israeli hostages reacted with outrage to remarks by President Trump. Speaking in the Oval Office, he said, “Now they have 20 hostages, but perhaps this number is also not correct, because some hostages are no longer alive.”

He condemned the situation as “extortion” and added, “We are trying our best to free the hostages, but it is not easy. This extortion has to end.”

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum hit back. “Mr. President, there are 50 hostages. The life of every hostage is precious to us,” the group said in a statement. It also criticised Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer for meeting US officials without updating the families, demanding any new information be shared with them first.

Protests have been held in Israel calling for the release of the hostages and an end to the Gaza fighting. The demonstrations underline how public frustration is now directed not only at Hamas, but also at the government’s handling of the crisis.