TEHRAN (FNA) – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami hailed the country's nanotechnology companies for assisting the defense sector in bolstering its deterrence power.
"Nanotechnology has extensive uses in defense-military industries and it leaves a major effect in the further advancement of defense systems," General Hatami said on the sidelines of the 12th International Nanotechnology Festival and Exhibition in Tehran on Saturday.
He described nanotechnology as highly important in increasing the Armed Forces' combat power, and said, "We believe that the knowledge-based and nanotechnology companies can play a special role in the enhancement of the deterrence power as the strategic backup of the defense industry."
Iranian scientists could stand atop the Middle-Eastern states in the development and advancement of nanoscience and nanotechnology, a reputable international magazine reported, adding that the country ranked 16th in the world.
Scimago Institutions Rankings, a science evaluation source to assess worldwide universities and research-focused institutions, released the data of the Middle-Eastern countries' ranking in 2017.
Based on the report, Iran ranks first in the Middle-East region in nanoscience and nanotechnology with 5,668 documents, 5,602 citable documents and 71,320 citations in international papers.
The report added that Iran has outpaced Saudi Arabia, Israel (Occupied Palestine), Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Yemen and Syria in nanotechnology in the Middle-East in 2017.
Also, the report said that Iran ranks 16th in the world in nanoscience and nanotechnology with the same number of documents, citable documents and citations in international papers.