The Iranians unveiled their first "made-in-Iran" fighter jet on August 21, with state media outlets all carrying video or photographs of President Hassan Rouhani sat in the cockpit.

Test flights of the jet, named the Kowsar, took place on the eve of the August 22 National Day of the Defence Industry, semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.

Defence industry observers say Iran’s air force is relatively minor, given that it roughly comprises of just a few dozen strike aircraft, largely Russian or American planes acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The country has been forced to develop a domestic arms industry because international sanctions over the decades have prevented it from importing weapons.

The Kowsar can be used for "short aerial support missions", state media reports said, adding that it is equipped with systems that "promote precision targeting".

The jet is described as a fourth-generation fighter jet, classifying it among military fighters in service from approximately 1980 to the present day. By contrast, Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and China's Chengdu J-20 are known as fifth generation fighters because they have enhanced stealth abilities and computational power.

In a July 2017 post on Defence Blog, it was observed that the Kowsar advanced jet trainer "looks like the the AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chung aircraft developed by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation of Taiwan in collaboration with American aircraft manufacturer Northrop between 1984 and 1990".

In terms of Iran’s military prowess, the US is perhaps presently mostly concerned with rapid-attack small boats armed with missiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has indicated that in its sanctions fight with Washington it might move to block the sea passage that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman to prevent energy exports making it on to world markets. That would be in retaliation for any major success the Trump administration has in convincing countries around the world to stop importing Iranian oil by November 4.

Donald Trump is aiming to throttle Iran’s economy to the point where Tehran is forced to the table to renegotiate its activities and role in the volatile Middle East.

Days before the unveiling of the jet, Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami said Iran's military had mounted a locally-built defensive weapons system on one of its warships for the first time.

In a speech prior to the wraps coming off the Kowsar, Rouhani called on the Iranian military to strengthen their readiness in the face of enemy threats.

"When we say we are ready for defence, it means that we seek the establishment of a sustainable peace," Rouhani said.

“Discipline, education, faith, motivation, weapons and a readiness of our armed forces to reach a level that no one will dare to attack us," was called for he said, adding: "Why does the US not attack us? Because it is aware of our power and the cost [that it will face]."

Iran's military had a 2017 budget of $14.1bn, or 2.5% of the country’s GDP, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) figures show. That compares to the $610bn, or 3.1% of GDP, spent by the US on its defence budget in that year.