The War Over Progress: A Battle for Iran’s Future

R. Hejazi – According to Khabaronline, From Tehran’s perspective, the 12-day assault was not merely a military confrontation, but the opening stage of a multidimensional struggle—one fought across economic, media, diplomatic, and security arenas. The objective is clear: to slow Iran’s momentum before it fully emerges as a regional and technological power.

Defining the “War over Progress” from Tehran’s View

Analyses at Iran’s decision-making level describe four main fronts:

Military confrontation

The 12-day attack was not aimed solely at physical destruction, but at disrupting deterrence—seeking to delay the advancement of Iran’s defensive capabilities.

Economic warfare

Targeted sanctions on technology, energy, and foreign trade are seen by Tehran as elements of a broader strategic campaign.

The battle of narratives

At this level, the struggle centers on public perception: Iran’s “progress” must be recognized as a legitimate reality in the region, not framed as a threat to the existing order.

Diplomatic and structural pressure

International restrictions on Iran’s defense and missile programs are viewed as part of a long-term design to contain its large-scale capabilities.

Why Has This War Begun Now?

According to analysts, Iran has reached a turning point in its rise to power. Asian investment, defense initiatives, domestic technological growth, and expanding regional influence have converged. At this sensitive moment, external pressure has intensified simultaneously.

In a key speech delivered shortly after the war ended, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized this strategic dimension: “Our enemies are angered by the faith, knowledge, and unity of our nation and do not want Iran to reach the summit of progress.”

The message is explicit: Iran’s progress has become a goal that some regional and global powers regard as a threat to the status quo.

Further evidence of this apprehension, in Tehran’s view, lies in the anti-Iran resolution submitted to the IAEA Board of Governors by the United States and the European troika. The resolution calls for agency access to Iranian nuclear sites that were attacked during the 12-day war by the United States and Israel—an initiative interpreted as another attempt to constrain Iran’s trajectory.

Redefining Security

Based on this understanding, the concept of security inside Iran is undergoing a shift:

• Progress itself has become a security asset.
• Halting progress is now framed as a strategic threat.
• Defense is no longer limited to protecting borders; safeguarding the path of development has become an unprecedented priority.

Accordingly, economic pressure, missile capabilities, and media competition are all seen as components of a single battlefield.

Iran’s Response: A Long-Term Strategy

For Tehran, the 12-day war marked only a beginning. Official analyses increasingly describe a prolonged struggle in which military, economic, and media lines of defense operate in coordinated fashion.

The central question now is this:

Will Iran’s adversaries deploy additional tools to contain its progress? Or will Iran succeed in transforming progress itself from a vulnerable objective into a deterrent force?

The answer may well shape the future of regional security.