Iran’s Military Strategy & Power Projection – Drones, Proxies & Production under Sanctions

Iran’s Military Strategy & Power Projection – Drones, Proxies & Production under Sanctions

Compared to many of the other militaries we’ve looked at, Iran’s force structure and overarching strategy stands out.

From its arsenal of Shah era weapons to its new generation of missiles, in this episode we did a bit deeper into Iran’s military capabilities, limitations, and the industrial capabilities behind them.

Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU

Relevant Reading/sourcing
Platform figures per MB2022 as always for sake of consistency with my other works.

IMF data on Iran
https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PCPIPCH@WEO/IRN?zoom=IRN&highlight=IRNv

IAEA Director General’s Statement on Verification in Iran
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-director-generals-statement-on-verification-in-iran-0

Reporting on the IRGC vs Artesh budget
https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2021/12/16/iran-more-than-doubles-revolutionary-guards-budget-in-fy22-bill/

CSIS – The Iranian Missile Threat – Anthony Cordesman
https://www.csis.org/analysis/iranian-missile-threat

CSIS – Missile Defence Project Iran

Missiles of Iran

Iran friendly fire incident
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/11/iranian-navy-ship-hit-by-missile-in-fatal-friendly-fire-incident-in-gulf

IAEA head on Iran
https://www.reuters.com/world/world-must-not-fail-iran-it-did-north-korea-iaea-chief-says-2023-10-16/

Featured Times article on IRGC in Syria
https://time.com/90807/iran-syria-revolutionary-guard/

IAEA reporting on Iran (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iaea-reports-no-progress-iran-uranium-stock-enriched-60-grows-2023-09-04/

Iran missile test
https://apnews.com/article/iran-khorramshahr-ballistic-missile-nuclear-tensions-017382e19220700c618eeb51d0bd8b94

FP – Iran is filling Armenia’s power vacuum

Iran Is Filling Armenia’s Power Vacuum

Reporting on Saudi-Iran détente

Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement Has Failed to Bring De-escalation

Fakour images
https://irangeomil.blogspot.com/2018/07/analysis-fakour-air-to-air-missile.htmlv

French statement on Iran’s nuclear program
https://onu.delegfrance.org/we-remain-determined-that-iran-must-never-develop-a-nuclear-weapon-and-must

CRS Reports:
Iran and Nuclear Weapons Production
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12106

Iran’s Nuclear Program – compliance with international obligations
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/nuke/R40094.pdf

Iran’s Nuclear Program and U.N. Sanctions Reimposition
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11583

Michael Eisenstadt – IISS – Iran after Sanctions: Military Procurement and Force-Structure Decisions
https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library—content–migration/images/comment/analysis/2017/december/3-eisenstadt2125.pdf

Michael Eisenstadt – Iranian military developments and trends
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/media/6362

Iran’s Foreign and Defence Policies
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44017/80

Iran – Background and U.S. Policy
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47321

Shaan Shaikh – CSIS – Iranian missiles in Iraq
https://www.csis.org/analysis/iranian-missiles-iraq

CSIS – The Iranian and Houthi War against Saudi Arabia
https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/211221_Jones_IranianHouthi_SaudiArabia.pdf?VersionId=fn1d98tAhj7yOUr.IncppMueLOC4kv83

Reuters on Iran backing Iraqi militia
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/exclusive-tactical-shift-iran-grows-new-loyal-elite-among-iraqi-militias-2021-05-21/

Khamenei praising Basij
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-khamenei-praises-basij-forces-confronting-riots-tv-2022-11-26/

Reporting on the 2017 Iran political rift
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/22/rift-between-irans-ayatollah-and-re-elected-president-widens

UK House of Commons Briefing on Iran’s nuclear program
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9870/

IranM2 data
https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/iran/money-supply-m2

Included article on sanctions sunset
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/18/politics/us-sanctions-iran-jcpoa-transition-day/index.html

Included article on Iran drone production
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/14/us-says-iran-becoming-a-drone-leader-as-russia-uses-its-craft-in-ukraine

Source on included F-4 image
https://www.key.aero/article/how-does-iran-manage-keep-its-ageing-f-4-phantom-iis-flying

Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply.
In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes only.

Timestamps
00:00:00 — Opening Words
00:01:26 — What Am I Talking About?
00:02:04 — History
00:09:24 — Position And Strategy
00:16:25 — The Force
00:28:47 — The Proxies
00:38:22 — Economy And Defence Production
00:49:40 — Production And Sanctions Busting
00:57:37 — Missiles And Drones
01:10:34 — Conclusion
01:11:30 — Channel Update
Credit to : Perun

Please support our Sponsors -
Or Buy an Item from our Catalog