TEHRAN – The budget bill of the next Iranian year (beginning on March 21) has envisioned a 21% increase for the development of defense sector, Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session, Brigadier General Hatami said he had submitted a report to the cabinet on the progress of defense projects, particularly those related to the missile program, Mehr reported.

The measures taken in the Defense Ministry are aimed to implement the plans put forward by the parliament, he said, adding that the ministry is progressing rapidly in its projects. 

Hatami added that the defense ministry was able to realize what it had predicted to accomplish this year.

President Hassan Rouhani submitted the next year's budget bill to the parliament on Dec. 25, saying that the bill has taken the impact of the U.S. sanctions on Iran into consideration.

Head of Planning and Budget Organization Mohammad Bagher Nobakht also said that the government has been required to spend 5 percent of the general budget for developing the country’s defense capabilities.

MH/PA