The One

source:-

Associated Press
Saturday, September 22, 2007 (Tehran)
Threats and economic sanctions will not stop Iran's technological progress, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Saturday at a large parade featuring fighter jets and radar-avoiding missiles designed to show off the country's military might.

The military parade outside the capital Tehran marked the 27th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Iran that sparked the bloody 1980-88 war.

It comes days before Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly in New York and as the US and its European allies continue discussions on third round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

''Those (countries) who assume that decaying methods such as psychological war, political propaganda and the so-called economic sanctions would work and prevent Iran's fast drive toward progress are mistaken,'' Ahmadinejad said at the parade that featured Iran's latest weapons including unmanned surveillance drones, torpedoes and battle tanks.

Some of the trucks carrying Iranian missiles were painted at the back the popular slogans: ''Down with the US'' and ''Down with Israel.''

The parade also featured flights by two of Iran's new domestically manufactured fighter jets, known as the Saegheh, which means lightning in Farsi.

Iran says it has weathered a US embargo for 28 years. While many Iranians acknowledge some hardships caused by the embargo, they credit it with making them more self-reliant.

''Those who prevented Iran, at the height of the (1980-88 Iran-Iraq) war from getting even barbed wire must see now that all the equipment on display today has been built by the mighty hands and brains of experts at Iran's armed forces,'' Ahmadinejad said.

Arms development program

Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a US weapons embargo.

Since 1992, Iran has produced its own jet fighters, torpedoes, radar-avoiding missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Iran's Defense Minister Mostafa Mohmmad Najjar said the weapons and equipment shown in the parade were just a ''small part of our capabilities.''

''With the production of various equipment, sanctions have become ineffective. We don't need foreigners,'' state TV quoted Najjar as saying on Saturday.

Ahmadinejad also repeated his call for foreign forces to leave the region and urged the United States to acknowledge it has failed in Iraq.

''Nations throughout the region do not need the presence of the foreigners to manage their own needs. Foreign presence is the root cause of all instability, differences and threats,'' said Ahmadinejad, who is set to appears at a forum at Columbia University in New York on Monday and addresses the General Assembly on Tuesday.

The United States has accused Iran of sending arms and fighters to help Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq that target US troops, and both British and American commanders have called the fight in parts of Iraq a ''proxy war'' by Iran. Tehran denies the accusations.

The US is also calling for more economic sanctions against Iran after two sets were imposed by the UN Security Council for Iran's decision not to stop uranium enrichment. Washington accuses Tehran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charges, saying it nuclear program is for peaceful purposes including generating electricity.

''Learn lessons from your past mistakes. Don't repeat your mistakes,'' he said in a warning to the United States over its push to impose more sanctions.

Indirect Fire

Iran has gone down the wrong road, but it can still turn back, open itself to the outside world, and hope to be the next UAE before it's too late.

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Versus

Operation Ajax gives Iran all that it needs to go where it is going. Unlike UAE Iran is saddled with historical burden and therefore cannot be another UAE. Try to tell some Iranian that he is an Arab and he or she will saw you in half. Persia my friend, Persia...

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Human stupidity is immortal.

Indirect Fire

Well, I guess my Parsi friends who fled Iran have already set up a mini-Dubai in India.

Versus

I was thinking more globally, about foundation for Iranian nationalism and all that...It seems that they are going from religious fanaticism to nationalism and that those two things kinda overlapping each other in certain time periods..
But than again what do I know..

HistoricalDavid

Military 'might'?

What a very accurate thread title.

Bella

Yah!, I know, I could build better equiment in my basement then they could!

WhamBam

Is it more to do with their being Persian or being Muslims? Or is it a deadly cocktail?

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Parsis in India are highly successful, peaceful and are considered a model minority. They have mixed in India like sugar in milk as they promised when they came to India escaping persecution back home.

Feanor

Unless your basement is the size of a small country, and includes vertical integration of production processes from mining ore to designing targeting systems for fighter jets, I'd say no. The Iranian military program is very advanced given that they were and remain essentially a third world nation. What's more impressive is the possibilities this opens up for Iran, including the ability to weather international embargoes.

Bella

First of all, I was saying it as a joke! Secondly, if the Iranian military is "So" advanced, please enlighten me on all the "Great" fighter jets, tanks, etc, that have been produced!?
Iran is nothing more than, like you said, "A third world country, that depends on countries like Russia and China for their second hand equipment."
Iraq was a great example of that!
The possibilities that only Iran seek is to have nuclear weapons! If not, in 7 years when they have them, I will revisit your statements!
As goes for embargoes!, the only reason why they have not been as effective as they should is because Russia and China depend on Iran to buy their weapons from, "OIL" money!
Russia and China will not let Iran fall as long as they are buying weapons from them and giving them money that they want and need.

Feanor

They produce their own munitions, tanks, artillery systems, their own version of the BMP-1, and are in the process of developing an aero-space industry.

Not bad for "A third world country, that depends on countries like Russia and China for their second hand equipment."

Dreadnought

Certainly not as great as what they think they are when they run away at the mouth as usual.

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Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

HistoricalDavid

The West sees your BMP-1 and raises you A-10C, AH-64D, AH-1Z, M1A2 SEP/TUSK, M2/3 Bradley, Chally 2... yawn.

Look, the point is when the US is rolling around, conventional military might is rare and certainly not in Iran's hands.

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HD Ready?

TTL

I think Iran has a quite capable military. Of course they are not on par with USA but West invading Iran in a similar manner to Iraq doesn't seem possible in near future. Iran could be a new vietnam and even USA can't fight all around the globe simultaneosly.

Feanor

Irrelevant. There is not really a single 2nd-3rd world military capable of challenging a first world military. But given other regional opponents, Iran is certainly a threat.