Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Thursday the country will open a production line for new domestically-manufactured cruise missiles in the near future, the local satellite Press TV reported.

"Iran's Defense Ministry will (also) unveil important arms, marine, aerospace and electro-optic achievements in the new Iranian calendar year (started on March 21)," Vahidi was quoted as saying in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah on Thursday.

In February, Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said that Iran had put smart ballistic missiles into mass production.

Iran has made considerable progress in the past decades over the development of medium and long-range missiles, and Teheran has reiterated that its missile capability is "a defensive tool against invasions."