Iran’s acting defense minister says women are vital to defense industry

• Iran's Acting Defense Minister, Sardar Ibn al-Reza, told a gathering of women in the defense industry that the sector's story cannot be told without their contribution. 

Iran's Acting Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, Sardar Ibn al-Reza, told a gathering of women working in the country's defense sector Thursday that their role has become inseparable from the industry's achievements, according to Iranian media.

Addressing the meeting, Ibn al-Reza said that no complete account of the country's defense industry could be given without acknowledging the contribution of women, describing their presence as a defining part of the sector's identity rather than a peripheral one.

He went on to place that contribution in a broader social context, noting that women make up half of Iran's population and represent one of the most influential pillars of society. Their role in the country's overall development, he said, is something "not hidden from anyone."

The minister singled out the scientific and technical dimension of that role, saying women in the defense industry stand at the forefront of scientific research, technological development, and the shaping of the sector's future direction.

He expressed pride in the capabilities women have demonstrated within the industry, stating plainly that its future "is unimaginable without their presence and serious participation."

Ibn al-Reza closed his remarks by framing the point as a matter of national principle, saying that Iran does not build its future through the efforts of men alone, the women of the country stand alongside them in that undertaking.

The comments come amid a broader push within Iran's defense establishment in recent years to expand the recruitment and visibility of women across its institutions, part of a wider narrative promoted by Iranian officials linking female participation in science, technology, and defense to the country's post-revolutionary development goals.

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