Patricia Marins
Most people have no idea about what Iran is becoming. It can’t be compared to the golden times of Saddam or any other emerging power in the region. Iran didn’t just buy its technology from other countries. Their development involves some reverse engineering, but especially heavy investment in research over the past 20 years.
Iran has the keys to build a military project based on domestic resources:
- Local research centers
- Engineering and reverse engineering skills
- Vast natural resources
- Military ambition
- Financial capacity
Iran has a strong domestic industry and the technology to manufacture cheap and modern drones, as well as long-range ballistic missiles with high precision, modern radar systems, and a new concept of navy based on fast boats using missile systems.
Is Iran a limited regional power?
Maybe a decade ago. Now, their missiles can hit 3 continents, and they are strongly influencing a European conflict with weaponry. It’s beyond being a regional power.
The Iranian arm industry is actually among the top 7, being one of the few countries able to develop long-range air defense systems. Yes, these air defense systems haven’t been tested in any situation yet, but given the accuracy of the last missile attacks, they can be surprisingly efficient.
Iran is emerging not only as a global military power but also as one of the biggest challenges for the Western world, precisely because most of its modern arm industry was developed under sanctions imposed by Western countries and the country keep seeking nuclear capabilities.
Iran Emerges as a Global Military Power
Few countries can launch missile attacks ranging more than 1,000km from their territory, and Iran is one of them. Some time ago, I wrote about the Iranian development of anti-air systems and mentioned that Iran alone has more anti-air systems than the entire Europe.
The recent Iranian attacks have demonstrated a frightening precision of a few meters, as evidenced by pictures of the damaged targets. However, these recent Iranian attacks have affected another major player in the region: Pakistan. Firing missiles into Pakistan, without prior authorization could lead to serious problems for Iran, if the Pakistani government decides to escalate the situation.
Iran’s military development also includes modern and long-range radars, as well as possibly an unknown electronic warfare (EW) technology, suspected of being capable of hacking foreign drones. While I believe in many aspects of Iranian armament development, I would like to see more details specifically about this EW technology.
Another country that has accelerated the development of its domestic missile systems is Saudi Arabia. Some time ago, I wrote about this recent development involving Saudi, Chinese, and Brazilian companies.
The region could potentially become a missile park in terms of capabilities, with Iran leading the way and raising the region security concerns.
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