As the barbarians wreak their destruction, one factor they will be unable to do is to destroy the information current in the minds of the Iranian populace. Theirs will probably be a crucial function in serving to the nation get better from its present plight.
The barbarians at its gates who plan to ship Iran to the Stone Age are concentrating on not solely Iran’s bodily infrastructure but in addition its universities, analysis establishments, and hospitals. According to Iran, until now at the very least 30 universities have been attacked and broken and greater than 600 colleges and schooling establishments struck.
Iran’s vaunted science and know-how capabilities kind the idea of its present resilience towards American-Israeli assaults. Besides the deceptively easy Shahed drones, they’ve been in a position to fabricate a number of missiles, some with know-how not seen wherever in the world. The assaults have focused many establishments related to Iran’s missile and area programmes. But these assaults have expanded to cowl areas which haven’t any clear navy connection or software.
On April 3, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sounded the alarm on the assaults concentrating on healthcare infrastructure in Iran. He mentioned that the Pasteur Institute in Tehran had “sustained significant damage and was rendered unable to continue delivering health services.” The Institute was arrange in 1920 via an inter-governmental settlement between Iran and France. On the identical day, the Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital sustained injury in a strike and is at present unable to perform. And the Laser and Plasma Research Institute on the Shahid Behesti University in Tehran was attacked, damaging the institute and close by dormitories as effectively.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty.
On March 31, the Tofigh Daru analysis and engineering firm, was attacked. The facility is a main producer of lively pharmaceutical substances for anti-cancer, anaesthetic, cardiovascular and narcotic drugs. The firm is the one main competitor of the Israeli firm Teva Pharmaceuticals in the world of a number of sclerosis medicine.
The Daro Bakhsh pharmaceutical manufacturing unit was hit the subsequent day. This is a manufacturing hub for antibiotics, cardio medicine and IV fluids.
On March 23, the Israelis hit Malek Ashtar University & Imam Hossein University in Tehran, alleging they have been getting used for area and weapons analysis. On March 28, the goal was the Iran University of Science and Technology and intensive injury was reported to this engineering establishment.
The Isfahan University of Technology was struck in mid-March and once more on March 28/29 wounding 4 staffers and damaging a number of buildings. The subsequent day, the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Shiraz University was attacked. In mid-March, the Isfahan University of Technology was attacked for the primary time. This assault was repeated later.
A very alarming Israeli tactic is to additionally goal particular person researchers and academics. In the previous, too, physicists and scientists whom the Israelis accused of being concerned in Iran’s nuclear and missile programme have been focused. But now listing has expanded vastly. In one assault, Professor Saeeed Shamghadri was killed together with two of his kids in a focused assault on their dwelling. Shamagdhari was a control-engineer with scores {of professional} publications listed in Google Scholar.
The assaults, principally carried out by Israel are a part of the nation’s expansive doctrine that’s keen to inflict disproportionate casualties in pursuit of an alleged navy goal. So, analysis and schooling which will have potential navy functions have been focused. By this definition, virtually all scientific and technical establishments might be attacked. But simply how egregious the US-Israeli doctrine is turned evident in the destruction of an unfinished bridge in Karaj which was not serving any navy perform as of now.
The systematic sample of assaults on Iranian infrastructure, each bodily and mental, means that the objective of the American-Israeli struggle is not only to defeat Iran militarily, however to degrade Iran’s nationwide capacities. It goes with out saying that almost all of those assaults violate the ideas of International Humanitarian Law as embodied in the Hague Convention of 1899 and 1907 and the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its two Additional Protocols. Both Israel and the US are social gathering to those conventions (although not the Additional Protocols) that defend people who find themselves not collaborating in hostilities, civilians, medical services and personnel and so on.
Iran’s scientific achievement
Despite many years of worldwide sanctions, isolation, and financial pressures Iran has emerged as a notable participant in international science and know-how. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the nation prioritized self-sufficiency in crucial sectors, channeling investments into schooling, analysis infrastructure, and indigenous innovation. This strategic focus yielded measurable positive factors in analysis output, technological clusters, and knowledge-based industries. While challenges persist, Iran’s capabilities in fields reminiscent of nanotechnology, biotechnology, nuclear know-how, aerospace, and synthetic intelligence are well-known.
At the core of Iran’s S&T progress is a sturdy emphasis on schooling and human assets. Iran has excessive literacy charges roughly 93-94% for adults with 97% literacy for these between 15-24. Female literacy is of the order of 85%.
The nation boasts excessive tertiary enrolment charges, with over 2 million college students in greater schooling and a whole bunch of 1000’s of annual graduates, significantly in science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM). Gender parity stands out regionally, with ladies comprising almost 50% of scholars in secondary and tertiary ranges. Institutions are supported by entities such because the Iran National Science Foundation and the National Elites Foundation, which give funding, incentives, and commercialization assist for innovators.
Research output and international Standing
Iran’s scientific productiveness stays spectacular amid constraints. The nation ranks thirty fourth globally in total analysis output per the Nature Index (4th in Western Asia as of 2025), with notable contributions in nanotechnology (4th-Sixth worldwide in publications) and biotechnology. It produces 1000’s of peer-reviewed articles yearly, with Tehran rising as a key science and know-how cluster – ranked 63rd among the many world’s prime 100 in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII) by WIPO, although down from earlier years as a result of broader financial components.
In the GII 2025, Iran positioned seventieth out of 139 economies, inserting it 2nd in Central and Southern Asia and 17th amongst upper-middle-income nations. Despite falling from 53rd place in 2022, Iran excels in information and know-how outputs (forty sixth), artistic outputs, and home market scale (eighth globally). This displays a shift towards utilized analysis and commercialisation, whilst sanctions hinder entry to cutting-edge gear and worldwide collaborations.
Iran’s strengths are concentrated in high-impact, dual-use, and strategic fields reminiscent of nanotechnology, biotechnology and prescription drugs, nuclear know-how, aerospace and area programmes, AI and rising know-how. These have led to a vibrant startup and information primarily based sector with almost 10,000 information primarily based companies working in 33 science and know-how parks.
International sanctions, significantly US-led measures concentrating on the nuclear program, have formed Iran’s S&T trajectory. They prohibit entry to international journals, conferences, gear, and financing, contributing to mind drain and over-compliance by banks/pharma companies. Sanctions have accelerated self-reliance, boosting indigenous output in publications and patents, although at the price of integration into international worth chains.
Future prospects
Iran’s science and know-how capabilities exemplify resilience: a nation that has constructed superior competencies in isolation via strategic funding in schooling, focused R&D, and adaptive coverage. From nano-materials to orbital launches and AI prototypes, these achievements place Iran as a regional powerhouse with international relevance. As geopolitical dynamics evolve, larger openness might unlock even larger potential for Iran and the world. On the opposite hand, because the barbarians wreak their destruction, one factor they will be unable to do is to destroy the information current in the minds of the Iranian populace. Theirs will probably be a crucial function in serving to the nation get better from its present plight.
The author is a distinguished fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi.
This piece was first printed on The India Cable – a premium publication from The Wire – and has been up to date and republished right here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click on here.
This article went dwell on April seventh, two thousand twenty six, at forty minutes previous eight in the morning.
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