TEHRAN (AP) – Iran has achieved breakthroughs in nuclear and space technology despite international sanctions against it, the country's top Leader said Saturday.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told military commanders that instead of weakening Iran, sanctions by the U.S., the UN and others have forced it to become more self-reliant, leading to greater strides by Iranian scientists and to technological advancements unseen in the country's history.
Iranian leaders often boast of technological progress as they seek to assure their people that sanctions and isolation have not hurt the country.
Most recently, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Tuesday the launch of Iran's first domestically produced satellite. He faces a tough re-election battle this year.
The United States imposed sanctions against Iran soon after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The sanctions banned the export of any dual-use technology, including nuclear, space and missile equipment. Over the years, Washington has tightened sanctions against any investment in Iran.
Since 2006, Iran has also been under UN Security Council sanctions, applied to its nuclear and missile industries, for refusing to halt uranium enrichment.
Iran says it has achieved proficiency in the entire nuclear fuel cycle — from extracting uranium ore to enriching it — and says it has 5,000 centrifuges operating in its Natanz uranium enrichment plant in central Iran.
On Monday night, Iran sent its first domestically made satellite — called the Omid, or hope in Farsi — into orbit using an Iranian-built satellite-carrier rocket. Analysts described it as a key step for an ambitious space program that worries the U.S. and other hegemonic powers.
“It was from the depth of various kinds of sanctions imposed on Iran for years that the Omid satellite came into existence and was sent into orbit,” state television quoted the Leader as saying.
“And it was out of all restrictions imposed against the Iranian nation that (Iran) achieved uranium enrichment technology, which is in the hands of few powerful countries,” the Leader was quoted by the television as saying.
Among Iran's other scientific boasts, it says it cloned a sheep in 2006. Iran has also built small passenger planes, though it lacks spare parts for its fleet of bigger U.S.- and European-made commercial aircraft. It also exports luxury cars.
Iranian political analyst Saeed Leylaz said Iran's defense industry has also made strides despite international sanctions.
Prior to the revolution, “Iran was a net importer of weapons,” Leylaz said. “Sanctions forced Iran to produce its defense requirements domestically. Now, it's even an exporter of weapons.”
In July 2003, the Revolutionary Guards were equipped with the Shahab, or Shooting Star, a medium-range missile that can carry a nuclear warhead and reach Israel and various U.S. military bases in the region. Since then, it has tested several missiles with a range of 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers).
Iran says it has developed solid fuel technology in producing missiles, a major breakthrough that increases accuracy.