Tehran, Aug 30 (IANS): Iran has started mass production of rockets that can be used to destroy tanks, armoured vehicles and the "enemy's ammunition depots", state-run Press TV reported.

Defence Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi Monday inaugurated the mass production line.

The portable rocket - with a diameter of 73 mm - has a warhead that can destroy targets at a distance of 1,300 metres, Vahidi said.

The lightweight rockets with high precision and "armour-penetration power" are suitable for ground and tactical operations and can play an important role in destroying targets in close and distance strikes and in "regular and irregular wars", the media report said.

Iran's defence ministry has been designing and producing weapons with the purpose of increasing the operational mobility of the country's armed forces, the minister said.

Vahidi also said Iran was manufacturing a maritime patrol aircraft equipped with optical and radar sub-systems and capable of operating for long durations.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently unveiled three national defence projects -- a marine cruise missile with a range of 200 km, a torpedo system fitted with 220-kg warheads and a marine engine which operates with 850 horsepower and can be used in combatant and non-combatant crafts.