Two months after Damascus and Tehran reached an agreement under which the latter would supply the Syrian regime's army with the "15 Khordad" air defense system, Iran announced its readiness to build "factories and launch production lines for strategic defense products" in Syria. Iranian observers see their country's readiness to arm Syrian forces and strengthen its air defenses "in response and gratitude for what Damascus has provided to Tehran in the Iran-Iraq war, and the formation of a front front against Israel" Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and his Syrian counterpart Lieutenant General Ali Abbas agreed to "strengthen Syria's defense base in preparation for the fight against terrorism"