Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet yesterday, with President Hassan Rouhani insisting that Tehran's military strength was only designed to deter enemies and create "lasting peace".

Images on state television showed Rouhani sitting in the cockpit of the new "Kowsar" fourth-generation fighter at the National Defence Industry exhibition in Tehran. State media said it had "advanced avionics" and multi-purpose radar, and that it was "100-per cent indigenously made" for the first time. "When I speak of our readiness to defend, it means we seek lasting peace. If we lack readiness, we welcome war," Rouhani said.