Iran confronts global powers with superior technology despite 47 years of sanctions, IRGC says

• Mohebbi stated that Iranian operations specifically targeted artificial intelligence systems and processing nodes
• The official asserted that these counter-strikes compelled opposing forces to halt their bombing campaign against Iranian infrastructure

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iran’s domestic aerospace advancements have enabled it to confront the world’s leading military powers with superior technology, despite enduring nearly five decades of sweeping economic and military sanctions.

Speaking at an aerospace briefing in Tehran, IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi characterized the expansion of the country's defense-industrial base as a historic strategic achievement.

"This is also a major achievement, that an Iran, which has been under forty-seven years of sanctions, can confront the world's greatest military power with superior technology," Mohebbi stated, referencing the United States and the broader regional alliances backing opposing forces.

Mohebbi added that international restrictions intended to limit Tehran's military development instead accelerated domestic self-reliance, enabling the IRGC Aerospace Force to localize critical aerospace knowledge and move from importing foreign systems to mass-producing domestic platforms.

"In our country, we have always been importers of military equipment, but now, in addition to meeting our domestic needs, we are also exporters," Mohebbi stated, citing systems such as the Shahed-136 loitering munition, the Arman missile platform, and the Khordad-3 air defense network as benchmarks of local manufacturing.

Retaliatory strikes on AI and data hubs

Turning to operational engagements during past exchanges, Mohebbi said that domestic technological advancements were directly applied to counter foreign strikes on Iranian infrastructure.

He stated that when opposing forces targeted domestic facilities essential to civilian life, Iranian units executed targeted reciprocal operations.

"By targeting their artificial intelligence systems, processors, and infrastructure in the region, they managed to neutralize them and deterred them from continuing to bomb our infrastructure," Mohebbi said.

The spokesperson argued that striking regional command, processing, and data-relay hubs established effective deterrence, compelling adversaries to halt their campaign after realizing that strikes on Iranian sites would be met with multiple reciprocal attacks.