Forging Iran’s Missile Might: Khamenei’s Vision Through Hajizadeh’s Eyes

According to Saed News, Martyr Amri Ali Hajizadeh, who fell in the opening hours of the June 13 conflict, credited the Supreme Leader’s hands‑on guidance for transforming Iran from a nascent missile user into a leading developer of precision‑strike systems. Conducted in 2021 and published this week by the Office for the Preservation and Publication of Ayatollah Khamenei’s Works, the interview reveals key moments when Khamenei’s strategic foresight overrode conventional military thinking.

Hajizadeh recalled that during the 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War, the country possessed only a handful of foreign missiles. As president, Khamenei insisted on reverse‑engineering two designs despite fierce pressure to import, a choice Hajizadeh described as “extremely difficult” yet foundational for domestic production. In the early 1990s, when cheap Russian systems were on offer after the Soviet collapse, Khamenei forbid purchases—“Had we bought them, our progress would have stalled,” Hajizadeh admitted—forcing Iran to chart its own course.

Today, Iran ranks among the world’s foremost drone manufacturers and missile developers, with capabilities showcased in the 2020 Ain al‑Asad strike and the recent Iran–Israel war. Hajizadeh noted U.S. acknowledgments of Tehran’s newfound ability to challenge Western air superiority. He also praised Khamenei’s refusal to entangle Iran in the Gulf War or rely on foreign aircraft development, instead concentrating resources on missile accuracy and indigenous innovation.

By tracing this lineage of self‑sufficiency—from wartime exigency to hybrid‑warfare deterrence—the interview paints a portrait of a defence doctrine built not on borrowed hardware, but on strategic autonomy. As Hajizadeh affirmed, “Our strength is home‑grown: when officials follow the Leader’s blueprint, no adversary can break us.”