An important aspect for understanding the military-technical capabilities of any country is its industrial base. There are often opinions circulating about Iran being a third-world country under sanctions, having lost all the achievements of the developed monarchy of 1978. However, the real situation is much more complex.
In the era of the Shah, the literacy rate among women aged 10 to 49 was only 35.5% (for men, it was 61.5%). By 2023, this figure had risen to 96.1% among women in the same age group. This highlights significant achievements in the field of education.
Another important aspect is that in 2025, Iranian universities enrolled 958,000 students, of which more than 600,000 were women. For comparison, in Russia, the same year, universities accepted only 904,000 students, with the proportion of women being lower than in Iran.
This is not a coincidence: since the 1980s, Iran has been actively working to reduce its scientific and technological lag behind other countries, as evidenced by the increase in the number of publications by Iranian scientists in international scientific journals. As a result, higher education in Iran is developing faster than in Russia.
However, Iran's economic successes significantly lag behind its educational achievements. Due to the lack of modern macroeconomic theories, the GDP per capita in Iran is half that of Russia. However, due to sanctions, the structure of this GDP differs.
For example, Russia has a developed service sector, while Iran focuses on machine engineering. Iran produces almost one and a half times more cars and four times more engines for them than Russia. This is particularly impressive considering Iran's population of 90 million people.
The dynamics leading up to the current conflict with the USA also indicate growing production in Iran, while Russia is experiencing a decline amid decisions by the Central Bank. For instance, in 2025, car production in Iran increased, while in Russia, it fell by double digits.
Moreover, Iran is actively producing gas turbines for thermal power plants, which is another example of its industrial progress. Russia, on the other hand, has been importing such turbines for decades and has only recently begun to develop its own.
Iran has also made significant progress in ensuring its own pharmaceutical production, achieving 90% self-sufficiency, while in Russia, local production can halt if borders are closed.
It is important to note that Iran has its own tunnel boring machines, allowing it to build both subways and military shelters. These machines have significantly advanced since the country began importing them.
Military Industry: Missile and Drone Progress
If we consider Iran in the context of the global military industry, its capabilities vary significantly. There are areas where weapons are produced in volumes comparable to Russia, but they are not numerous.
Iran produces medium and short-range ballistic missiles, with the main type being solid-fuel, although there are also liquid-fuel missiles from the Ghadr family. It is estimated that their production runs into dozens of units per month.
Ghadr-110, the first stage is liquid-fueled, the second is solid-fueled. This MRBM has a range approaching 2000 kilometers, and the warhead can weigh up to a ton / © Wikimedia Commons
When it comes to ballistic missiles, the Iranians even surpass Russia in quantity, which is just beginning serial production of new models, such as "Oreshnik".
By the beginning of the current conflict, Iran had over a thousand ballistic missiles, which exceeds both the Russian arsenal and is comparable to the Chinese. This is a significant achievement, especially considering Iran's smaller population compared to Russia.
However, the technologies used in Iranian missiles significantly lag behind Russian ones. Iran has managed to develop several types of missiles with limited maneuverability, but their capabilities are far from those of modern Russian systems.
The quality of guidance for Iranian missiles also raises questions. Russian technologies allow for effective control of missiles in the terminal phase of their trajectory, which Iran has not yet achieved.
The lack of effective self-guidance systems is a serious drawback of Iranian missiles. The deviation from the target increases with distance, making them less accurate.
This leads to the situation where Iranian missiles, despite having a larger warhead, cannot effectively hit protected military targets, which explains their choice to attack urban targets.
Although the Iranian side claims to have missiles with self-guidance systems, there is no practical confirmation of precise hits on targets in Israel. A recent attempt to strike an American aircraft carrier also failed.
The low accuracy of the missiles significantly reduces their combat effectiveness. Even a powerful explosion occurring near a military facility may not cause serious damage.
Nevertheless, Iran has made strides in developing unmanned aerial vehicles, which proved themselves during the Iran-Iraq war. Drones have become an important tool for reconnaissance and attacks.
The development of drones, such as the "Shahed," allows Iran to successfully attack the enemy despite existing limitations in other areas.
Iran also possesses maritime drones that were used in the conflict with the USA and demonstrated their effectiveness.
Comparing with American capabilities shows that despite a rich arsenal, the USA faces challenges in drone technologies and missiles.
Shortcomings in All Other Areas
On the other hand, Iran suffers from a lack of modern weapons in other areas. Effective air defense systems, especially with long ranges, are virtually absent, making the country vulnerable to attacks.
Tehran relies on its own developments; however, modern air defense systems require significant efforts, and Iranian analogs do not reach the level of imported ones.
The main reason for the low level of imports lies in Iran's desire for self-sufficiency and avoidance of dependence on other countries, which limits its ability to acquire modern technologies.
Iranian military satellites launched into orbit by a Russian rocket on December 28, 2025. In the photo, a container with the Kowsar 1.5 satellite. / © Yuri Lyamin, @imp_navigator
Despite existing achievements, Iran still cannot shoot down American planes, highlighting the shortcomings of its air defense.
Compared to Iraq, which used more effective systems in the 1980s, Iran remains in a vulnerable position and cannot ensure its security at an adequate level.
As a result, despite its technological achievements, Iran faces serious challenges that may impact its military capabilities.
Comparing the military technologies of Iran and the USA shows that while both countries have their strengths and weaknesses, their capabilities differ significantly. The question of how this will affect the outcome of a potential conflict remains open.
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