SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: Despite possessing formidable military capabilities — including advanced missile systems, drone technology, and asymmetric warfare strengths — Iran has never used this power for territorial expansion,

https://x.com/RezaNasri1/status/2036155664750485904

The recent war with Iran delivered few genuine reality checks. Iran is not weak. Its political establishment is stable and nowhere near collapse. It demonstrated it can fight on multiple fronts, disrupt the global economy at will, and remains the strongest power in the region. More importantly, the conflict revealed Iran’s true strategic posture. Despite possessing formidable military capabilities — including advanced missile systems, drone technology, and asymmetric warfare strengths — Iran has never used this power for territorial expansion, bullying its neighbors, or destabilizing the region, contrary to repeated accusations from Washington and Tel Aviv. Instead, Tehran has consistently pursued diplomatic initiatives for peaceful coexistence and a genuine collective security regime. As President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araghchi have repeatedly declared, Iran seeks not dominance, but “a strong region.” Had Iran’s policy been expansionist or based on confrontation, it would have employed that power very differently. When Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and inflicted over a trillion dollars in economic damage through “maximum pressure” sanctions, Iran had every incentive to close the Strait of Hormuz and retaliate. That campaign of economic warfare — which cost Iran trillions in lost oil revenue, frozen assets, and secondary sanctions — gave Tehran more than enough justification to disrupt global energy flows. Yet it chose restraint. This is the real lesson the region and the world should draw: Iran’s restraint was never weakness. It was a deliberate, long-term policy preference for diplomacy over confrontation. Misreading this reality yet again would be a dangerous mistake.

5:58 AM · Mar 24, 2026