They wasted billions of dollars of money on bullshit projects that led us to nowhere like Shafagh, Kowsar, Azarakhsh, the ridiculous F-313 (Qaher), etc. Some of these projects like Qaher-313 were so moronic and obviously flawed that they caused widespread ridicule from even aerospace engineering students.
They could purchase jet fighters before 2008. They didn't because they didn't want to. Russia sold Iran RD-33s engines in early 2000s but that's all Iran chose to purchase at the time.
They didn't have to become a pariah state. It was their own choices and actions that led to this situation.
Iran had a strategic alliance with the US to the point that the US greenlighted the sale of their top air superiority fighter (F-14) to Iran, the equivalent of F-22 in today's situation, something that they refused to do even for Israel at the time. Iran was one of the first countries planned to receive F-16s if the 1979 revolution hadn't happened. So, this pariah state has been by choice.
It was their own choice not to build a nuclear weapon and form military alliances, instead they chose to rely on proxy groups. Pakistan built nukes, North Korea built nukes, even Turkey and Saudi Arabia that face no existential threat are moving towards them. Ukraine has officially requested the right to possess nuclear weapons. Yet, these fuckers do not have the balls to leave the NPT yet.
Iran is being destroyed while not even one-tenth of the damage that we have suffered has been reciprocated on Israel. There's nothing to be proud of here.
I will reiterate my position. If Iran doesn't acquire nuclear weapons, we will be at the mercy of the US and Israel in 6 months in the best case scenario.
If you think Iran will be left alone assuming we win this round, you are 100% wrong.