Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier-General Hossein Dehqan announced his country’s preparedness to export small-caliber ammunition to foreign states, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.

General Dehqan made the remarks, addressing the inauguration ceremony of the production line of small-caliber ammunition in Tehran earlier this week.

“By inauguration and launching the production line, all Armed Forces’ needs to small-caliber ammunition will be met, the capacity for the production of such ammunition will double and the ground will be paved for their export too,” he underlined.

General Dehqan said that the ammunition manufactured in Iran enjoy high quality standards based on international norms.

The production line of small-caliber ammunition was inaugurated after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei stressed that Iran needed to enhance its defensive and offensive power, and asked senior military officials to push forward the country’s arms development programs in all areas, except for chemical and nuclear weapons.

He stressed that Iran sees certain redlines in developing its defense industries, reiterating that “manufacture of the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) such as nuclear and chemical weapons is definitely prohibited on the basis of its ideological and religious beliefs”.

He, however, reminded that the ban is on the production of chemical and nuclear weapons, but the country should develop its defensive capabilities against nuclear and chemical attacks.

“Apart from these limitations, there is no restriction in other fields for increasing our defense and military capabilities, and progress in these fields is a duty,” Khamenei said.

He reiterated that in order to preserve Iran’s security and future of the nation, the offensive capabilities should also be also bolstered along with the defensive power.