Iran's weaponry and defense equipment production has doubled over the past 12 months, a senior official said.
In an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Friday evening, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said that since the beginning of the war in late February, the country's production of certain strategic military products and equipment had increased more than threefold.
The increase was achieved despite the fact that limited parts of Iran's defense industry sections were targeted during the 12-day war with Israel in June last year, said the official.
Becoming stronger is the only way to counter foreign powers seeking to attack Iran's independence, he said.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing the country's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as U.S. bases and assets in the region.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the two sides failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate.
Iran's weaponry, defense equipment production doubles in past 12 months: spokesman
Extreme heatwaves and persistent drought across Italy have caused apples to ripen several days earlier than previous years, harming fruit quality and threatening farmers' incomes.
In the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige, one of Europe's top apple producers, orchard growers have been forced to begin their apple harvests significantly ahead of schedule, with popular early varieties like Gala being picked ten days or even two weeks earlier than 20 years ago.
Meteorological data showed that the average temperature in Trento, capital of the region, reached 14.9 degrees Celsius from January to July, the highest for the same period since records began. July alone was 2.4 degrees Celsius warmer than the historical average, while rainfall was below seasonal norms.
Gian Paolo Antonioli, a local apple farmer, underscored that the seasonal changes have led to reduced water availability.
"The main problem we have encountered is the lack of water, which has led to smaller apple sizes. Apples become smaller because they do not have enough water to support their growth. They tend to turn yellow faster and ripen earlier," Antonioli said.
Gala apples require red coloration before they are ready for fresh-market sales. When water is insufficient, the fruit may reach maturity before coloring properly, so a portion of the early yield has had to be downgraded for processing rather than sold on the fresh market, reducing growers' returns.
The weather woes are not limited to Italy. The World Apple and Pear Association forecast in August that 2026 production across major EU apple-growing countries would total about 9.5 million tons, a drop of 15.6 percent year on year and 14.3 percentage points lower than the three-year average.
"We must strive for constant production. We cannot accept yields to be one year on, one year off, two years on, and another year off. The climate is no longer stable, so we need to allow for some changes in annual production, but the average yield must be fairly constant," said Gianluca Barbacovi, president of Coldiretti Trentino-Alto Adige.
Italian apple orchards suffer from early harvests due to extreme heat
