While foreign media representations of Iran tend to depict it as a conflict-driven third world country in need of Western saving, Iran currently stands at its most scientifically developed, educationally skilled, and militarily advanced state it has ever been ^[93].

According to the World Bank, only 36 percent of Iranians between ages 15 and 95 were literate before the revolution, while the global average was 69 percent at the time. Women under the Pahlavi regime were at a 24 percent literacy rate while the world average for women was at 56 percent. Following the revolution, Iranians reached an 86 percent literacy rate in 2016, which was equal to the global average, and Iranian women in specific reached 81 percent literacy ^[93].

Additionally, the percentage of Iranian females who finished primary education increased from 35 percent in 1971 to 98 percent in 2010. The percentage of females in tertiary higher education also increased by nearly 20 times, from three percent in 1978 to 57 percent in 2020 ^[101]. Iranian women currently make up over 60 percent of all university students, and that number is set to grow dramatically ^[102]. In fact, nearly 70 percent of Iranian university graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields are women ^[103]. The percentage of Iranian women in the workforce has also almost doubled in the past three decades, from 11 percent in 1990 to 19 percent in 2020 ^[101].

Since the adoption of this health care system, Iran’s overall life expectancy has increased by eight years ^[94]. This is also in part due to Iran’s increased reliance on its own scientists to develop medicines and drugs. Prior to the revolution, Iran relied on imports from foreign countries for 70 to 80 percent of its pharmaceutical ingredients. As of 2018, an estimated 90 percent of drugs are locally produced and manufactured. Iran’s health minister stated that the country has saved over 700 million euros simply by producing its own products ^[94].

The treatment was approved by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and currently stands at a nearly 70 percent success rate ^[95].  

Iranian engineers have also become internationally recognized for developing cutting-edge scientific and military technology ^[96], and Iran’s cyber warfare is currently at the rank of a first world country while it is considered a third world nation.

In the past decade, Iran’s space agency has successfully launched more than a half dozen satellites into orbit. Iran currently ranks fourth in global nanotechnology rankings for the fourth year in a row. It has so far produced over 850 certified products, which have been industrialized and have helped improve people’s lives ^[97]. Iran has also pushed forward with its drone and robotics capabilities, including a new air defense system that can detect stealth UAVs, a prowess that was proven after Iranian authorities were able to successfully down a $176 million US drone in 2019 ^[96,98].

Just a month ago, Iranian Brigadier Amir Ali Hajizadeh revealed that Iran succeeded in developing cutting-edge hypersonic ballistic missiles. Qaem 100 is a three-stage solid fuel suborbital carrier, and is capable of putting satellites weighing up to 80 kilograms into orbit 500 kilometers from Earth’s surface ^[99]. The missile is ready to Launch “Nahid,” a satellite manufactured by Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, into orbit in the near future ^[99].