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A senior Iranian military official said on Wednesday that the Bavar 373 air defense system will be put into action in the near future.

Brigadier General Ali Balali, Deputy coordinator of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, was quoted by the Mehr news agency as having said that Iran has made great progress in designing and developing air defense systems.

"There are several air defense systems that are being designed and built inside the country through the cooperation of different military organizations," he added.

Balali said the Bavar 373 air defense has been designed in the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Army.

He further declared that the work on Bavar 373 is going ahead according to plans and will become operational soon.

Iran first claimed it had developed the Bavar 373 in 2016. The system is allegedly a home-made version of the Russian S-300 anti-missile system which it had bought from Russia, but the sale had been repeatedly delayed due to Western pressure given that UN nuclear sanctions ban the delivery to Iran.

The Islamic Republic regularly boasts of its military achievements but does not always provide proof of its accomplishments.

Last year, Iran’s Defense Minister claimed the country had developed a tank named "Karrar", which is supposedly equipped with an electro-optical fire control system and laser range-finder and is capable of firing at both stable and mobile targets day or night.

In 2013, Iran’s then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad first unveiled the Qaher 313, claiming at the time it is able to evade radar systems.

Israeli experts, however, at the time cast doubt on the authenticity of the fighter jet.