Iran assured this Sunday that it has managed to significantly strengthen its defensive capability since the start of the war, last February 28. The head of the Joint Command of National Air Defense, Alireza Elhami, stated that Iranian forces have managed to shoot down more than 160 enemy drones so far in the conflict, in a sign of resistance against the intense air campaign by the United States and Israel.
In a statement released by the official IRNA agency, the military official highlighted that not only have unmanned vehicles been neutralized, but also "several fighter jets" and dozens of cruise missiles, using systems developed with its own technology for this purpose. According to Elhami, these capabilities are part of a strategy based on indigenous methods and military innovation, designed to compensate for the technological superiority of its adversaries.
The Iranian command has stressed that the tactical use of “new equipment and innovations” has managed to generate “confusion” among enemy forces, hindering the effectiveness of their aerial operations. Although it has not offered technical details or verifiable proof of these shoot-downs, the message seeks to project an image of air space control and response capability in the face of continued attacks.
The statements come on an especially tense day, marked by new bombings over Iranian territory. According to local media, an Israeli attack in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant of Bushehr, in the southwest of the country, has left at least one fatality, which again places the focus on the security of sensitive infrastructure in the midst of the conflict's escalation.
In this context, the discourse of the Iranian authorities combines two objectives: on the one hand, to reinforce internal morale and the perception of military control, and on the other, to send a deterrent message to Washington and Tel Aviv about the country's capacity to sustain pressure in a prolonged war scenario.
Despite these assertions, the intensity of the attacks on Iranian territory and the repetition of impacts on strategic infrastructures suggest that the military balance remains fragile, with the evolution of the conflict still uncertain.