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Iran turns its back on Russia and China with own battle tank
- Bel Trew, Cairo
- March 14 2017, 12:01am, The Times
The Karrar tank is being hailed as a breakthrough in Iran’s military capabilities, with the country’s defence minister saying it could “compete with the most advanced tanks in the world”AP
The Karrar (striker) tank is being hailed as a breakthrough in Iran’s military capabilities, but it closely resembles the export version of Russia’s T90MS and comes months after Tehran formally suspended talks with Moscow on buying that model.
Iran previously had turned to countries such as China and Russia for military equipment.
The economy has been boosted by the lifting of western economic sanctions in January last year, after a deal in which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme, and it appears to have stepped up its domestic weapons programme, which also includes the production of missiles, fighter jets and submarines.
However, the United States imposed fresh sanctions on the country last month after a ballistic missile test. President Trump’s administration said that it had put Tehran “on notice” for the action and imposed restrictions on 25 individuals and entities.
In November, Iran suspended talks with Russia over an arms deal said to have been worth $10 billion for the tanks as well as artillery systems, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and helicopters. “The defence industry designed and built the battle tank from scratch. If not better, it’s still as deadly as the Russian T-90,” Mr Dehghan said last year.
Despite buying Russia’s $800 million S-300 missile defence system in February last year, Tehran unveiled its own Bavar 373 system in August. The air defence system, designed to intercept cruise missiles, drones and combat aircraft, was tested this month.