The imposed war; the turning point of Iran's transition from military dependence to defense independence

: 95th analytical-specialized meeting of TNA  

An international affairs expert said: "The eight-year imposed war was the turning point of Iran's transition from military dependence on foreign advisors to defense independence and laid the foundations of the country's current capability against America."

According to the politics and economics desk of Taghrib News Agency (TNA), Jafar Qannad-Bashi, an international affairs expert, at the 95th analytical-specialized meeting of Taghrib News Agency (TNA), referred to Iran's lessons in recent wars and said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran learned many lessons from the eight years of Sacred Defense and recent wars such as the 12-day and 40-day wars – wars that brought us many lessons. If we look at what we learned from the Sacred Defense, these teachings are not limited to the field of defense; rather, in various political, economic, cultural, and social arenas, they have transformed many mechanisms in line with the goals of the Islamic Revolution and in accordance with the needs of the current era. Perhaps most importantly and fundamentally, they have corrected the angle of society's view toward internal and external realities – an example of which is the recognition of Iran's global standing in terms of defense as one of its key pillars."

From dependence to defense independence

Referring to the history of the country's military dependence on foreign countries, he stated: "From the middle of the Qajar era, our military training and weapons became dependent on foreign countries. This was while, if we go back to our civilizational history, during the Safavid era and various periods, we had very strong armies. But during the Qajar era, due to negligence and laxity, we were forced to rely on foreign advisors for military training."

Qannad-Bashi added: "Gradually this dependence deepened, and we became a lever for the Western world in military terms; a member of CENTO, which was a subsidiary of NATO, and our army was under the supervision of American advisors. Therefore, in terms of defense, we practically started from zero. In the imposed war, we did not know where we stood in terms of capability, what weapons we had, and what facilities were available in the depots."

This international affairs expert continued: "We gradually started from zero and reached a capability that today we stand against America; our own training, our own military arrangements, our own bases, and the structure of the army and weapons are our own. This means the foundation of an independent defense in accordance with national interests, whose main foundations were laid by the eight-year imposed war."

Imam Khomeini's view on the blessings of war

Referring to the political and international standing of this achievement, he said: "This issue was also very important politically and in terms of our position in the world. Imam Khomeini, on February 22, 1989, in the last years of his life, issued a message titled 'The Charter of the Clergy' in response to Mr. Montazeri's criticisms of the war. In that message, the Imam refers 23 times to what achievements the war brought us; that the war made us know friend and foe, know the hypocrites, and realize our own capabilities."

Qannad-Bashi noted: "Today it is also clearly evident; if the war had not happened, the motivation for building the missiles by the martyr Hassan Tehrani-Moghaddam, known as the 'Father of Iran's Missile Program,' would not have been formed. He is known as one of the founders of the IRGC's missile program. Also, a figure named Sardar Soleimani, known as a military genius, would not have existed. The war environment nurtured military geniuses, and through this path, military knowledge and what relates to the creation and development of the most efficient military defense mechanisms in the contemporary era came into being at the highest levels in Iran."

The three pillars of Iran's defense

This international affairs expert, explaining the pillars of the country's defense, said: "Our defense is based on three fundamental pillars: first, missiles and weapons manufacturing, which was formed from the heart of the war and the efforts of martyrs like Tehrani-Moghaddam; second, the Ashura culture, meaning not fearing martyrdom and the spirit of bravery; and third, the implementation of the 'collective security strategy,' which is the most effective, most up-to-date, most efficient, and least costly defense strategy, and this too originates from the era of the eight-year Sacred Defense. In media language, it is referred to as Iran's regional presence, whose examples are manifested in the Resistance Front and in the form of military, intelligence cooperation, and various types of political alignment that strengthen the defense of the member countries of the Resistance Front, and its achievements become more apparent every day."

Qannad-Bashi, in response to the question of how much the role of the Resistance Axis as a deterrent factor can prevent extra-regional games, said: "As I mentioned, it is now proven that in the world, the best type of defensive operation is one that is carried out collectively. The Americans themselves, although they are a power that can fire missiles from Washington to any point in the world, rely on regional presence and have built about 45 bases in the countries of the region; from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to Arab countries such as Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. Why do they do this? Because it is proven that to defend their interests in this oil-rich region, they are compelled to cooperate with other countries."

He added: "The Resistance Front also has this same characteristic. We wisely entered the arena of cooperation, which is not only governmental but also popular. Today in the world, the discussion of 'public diplomacy' and non-governmental organizations is raised. If we had established a regional pact like the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council that was entirely governmental, it would have become ineffective. But when the discussion of mobilization and the Resistance Front is raised, this pact relies on semi-popular forces; partly governmental and partly popular."

The efficiency of the resistance model

Qannad-Bashi, referring to the efficiency of this model, said: "This model is very efficient. The Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq is part of the country's army but is truly a popular army. Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite its popular structure, is part of Lebanon's political system, participates in elections, and has representatives in the Lebanese parliament. Hamas, which is completely popular, administers Gaza and other parts within the framework of a governmental structure. In Yemen, too, the government is completely in the hands of Ansarullah, but it is popular."

This international affairs expert emphasized in conclusion: "These two characteristics: 1- the efficiency of popular organizations and 2- a regional pact against the Western world, which is constrained by administrative bureaucracy and classical systems, are very efficient. Interestingly, as I said, all of these are among the blessings of our correct and wise methods in confronting the eight-year imposed war, which has made Iran powerful and charted a bright future for us."