The Iranian military will receive up to 800 new and upgraded main battle tanks in the coming years. Defence ministry plans to upgrade and produce around 50 – 60 tanks annually at its production facility in Dorud. The tanks to be built will be most likely the Karrar (Striker) and the Zolfaghar. The Karrar is an indigenous combat vehicle developed in-house by Iran's Defence Industries Organisation (DIO) and was announced on 12 March 2017. It has three crew (Gunner, Commander and Driver).
The Karrar MBT is fitted with a new welded turret which is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun fitted with a fume extractor and a thermal sleeve and can fire all standard ammunitions. Its turret is equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun and includes a day/night sight, a thermal imager and a laser rangefinder. The Zolfaqar III is the latest and most advanced version in the Zulfiqar family that comes with a variety of upgrades. They include improving the fire navigation system, chassis, and armament, engine and laser system, to increase the operational capabilities of the tank. The wheels of the variant will be covered by an armored skirt and a reinforced turret. The Iranian Army is currently conducting research and test operation on this platform.
