Iran opened two new missile production plants today, just three days after firing a rocket carrying live animals into space, state television reported.
The plants will produce a ground-to-air missile dubbed the Qaem (Rising) and a surface-to-surface missile dubbed Toofan 5 (Storm), the broadcaster said.
The Qaem is designed to target helicopters at low and medium altitudes, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.
He said Toofan 5 has two warheads that can destroy tanks and other armoured vehicles.
Iran unveiled the new plants as part of its celebrations for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution later this month.
Iran is under three sets of UN sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.
US defence secretary Robert Gates today questioned Iran's assertion that a deal could be close to lift the threat of sanctions over its nuclear programme.
Mr Gates said Iran had done nothing to reassure the international community that it would comply with proposals to send nuclear material abroad in return for nuclear fuel.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki said his country was close to reaching a final deal with world powers on sending its low-enriched uranium abroad in return for nuclear fuel.
Speaking at a security conference in Germany, Mr Mottaki said the conditions existed for an exchange in the 'not-too-distant future', but added that it should be up to Iran to decide how much uranium was sent overseas.
Last Wednesday, Iran launched a capsule carrying turtles, rats and worms aboard a Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket in its first experiment in sending living creatures into space.
Iran's missile and space programmes have sparked mounting alarm in the West amid fears that a command of advanced ballistics technologies combined with the nuclear know-how acquired from its declared civilian programme may enable it to produce an atomic weapon.
Iran has also regularly boasted of having missiles that can target Israel.
