TEHRAN: Iran intends to manufacture or upgrade up to 800 tanks, the Tasnim news agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Reza Mozaffarinia as saying on Wednesday. He did not specify the type of tanks he was referring to, or how many would fit into each category. “The upgrade and manufacture of 700 to 800 tanks has been planned,” he was quoted as saying. “Annually there are 50 to 60 tanks manufactured and a sufficient budget has been allocated because the army and Revolutionary Guards have a great need.” While the United States and European powers have long sought to curb Iran´s ballistic missile program but its conventional military forces are thought to be weaker than its main regional rival Saudi Arabia. According to the CIA factbook, Iran´s military expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 2.69 percent in 2015 and Saudi Arabia´s 9.86 percent in 2016. </s> (Reuters) - Iran intends to manufacture or upgrade up to 800 tanks, the Tasnim news agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Reza Mozaffarinia as saying on Wednesday.

He did not specify the type of tanks he was referring to, or how many would fit into each category.

"The upgrade and manufacture of 700 to 800 tanks has been planned," he was quoted as saying. "Annually there are 50 to 60 tanks manufactured and a sufficient budget has been allocated because the army and Revolutionary Guards have a great need."

While the United States and European powers have long sought to curb Iran's ballistic missile program but its conventional military forces are thought to be weaker than its main regional rival Saudi Arabia.

According to the CIA factbook, Iran's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 2.69 percent in 2015 and Saudi Arabia's 9.86 percent in 2016.

In a December report, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Iran would modernize and rebalance its conventional forces "to reflect lessons learned in Syria."

Iran has been fighting in Syria in support of the government of president Bashar al-Assad since 2012.

(Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by John Stonestreet) </s> Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Reza Mozaffarinia says Tehran has plans to manufacture or upgrade 700 to 800 battle tanks.

In remarks quoted on July 18 by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Mozaffarinia did not specify the type of tanks he was referring to or how many would be newly built compared to how many would be upgraded.

He also did not mention a timeline for the completion of the project.

“Annually, there are 50 to 60 tanks manufactured and a sufficient budget has been allocated because the army and Revolutionary Guards have a great need," Mozaffarinia said.

The United States and European powers have long sought to curb Iran's ballistic-missile program.

But Iran’s conventional military forces are thought to be weaker than its main regional rival, Saudi Arabia.

According to the CIA's World Factbook, Iran's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 2.69 percent in 2015, while Saudi Arabia's was 9.86 percent in 2016.

In a December report, the International Institute for Strategic Studies predicted that Iran would modernize and rebalance its conventional forces "to reflect lessons learned in Syria."

Iranian forces have been fighting in Syria since 2012 in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Tasnim </s> Taipei, June 6: Taiwan has confirmed it has asked to purchase more than 100 US tanks, along with air defence and anti-tank missile systems in a major potential arms sale that could worsen frictions between Washington and Beijing.

The Defence Ministry says it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems. It says Thursday the request is proceeding "as normal."

The US is the main supplier of defensive weapons to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. The M1 Abrams would mark a significant upgrade from the aging tanks Taiwan's army now uses. Reports have also said Taiwan is seeking 66 additional F-16 fighter jets. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has confirmed it has asked to purchase more than 100 U.S. tanks, along with air defense and anti-tank missile systems in a major potential arms sale that could worsen frictions between Washington and Beijing.

The Defense Ministry says it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems.

It says Thursday the request is proceeding “as normal.”

The U.S. is the main supplier of defensive weapons to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. The M1 Abrams would mark a significant upgrade from the aging tanks Taiwan’s army now uses.

Reports have also said Taiwan is seeking 66 additional F-16 fighter jets.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> An Iranian factory has started to produce rotors for up to 60 centrifuges a day, upping the stakes in a confrontation with the United States over the Islamic Republic's nuclear work.

The announcement by the head of Iran's atomic agency on Wednesday came a month after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered agencies to prepare to increase uranium enrichment capacity, if a nuclear deal with world powers falls apart after Washington's withdrawal.

Under terms of the 2015 agreement, which was also signed by Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The other signatories have scrambled to save the accord, arguing it offers the best way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Iran has said it will wait to see what the other powers will do, but signalled it is ready to get its enrichment activities back on track. It has regularly said its nuclear work is just for electricity generation and other peaceful projects.

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the new factory did not in itself break the terms of the agreement.

"Instead of building this factory in the next seven or eight years, we built it during the negotiations but did not start it," said Salehi, according to state media.

"Of course, the [supreme leader] was completely informed and we gave him the necessary information at the time. And now that he has given the order, this factory has started all of its work."

The factory would have the capacity to build rotors for as many as 60 IR-6 centrifuges per day, he added.

Last month, Salehi announced Iran began working on infrastructure for building advanced centrifuges at its Natanz facility.

Salehi also told state TV on Wednesday the effort to acquire uranium has resulted in a stockpile of as much as 950 tonnes.

He said Iran imported 400 tonnes since the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, bringing its stockpile to between 900-950 tonnes - up from 500 tonnes.

Salehi said that's enough for Iran to reach its longtime goal of 190,000 centrifuge machines to enrich uranium.

The nuclear accord limits Iran's uranium enrichment to 3.67 percent, enough to use in a nuclear power plant but far lower than the 90 percent needed for an atomic weapon.

However, since the US pulled out of the deal in May, Iran has vowed to boost enrichment capacity to put pressure on the remaining signatories to live up to the agreement.
Iran states that it intends to manufacture and upgrade up to 800 tanks.