Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces
The Iranian Armed Forces,[a] officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces,[b] are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah) and the Law Enforcement Force (Faraja).
Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces
18
Yes
425,000[1] (ranked 9th)
200,000[1]
2.0% (2024)[2]
- Military history of Iran
- Kurdish separatism in Iran
- Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran
- Iran crisis of 1946
- Dhofar Rebellion
- Seizure of Abu Musa
- Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution
- Iran–Iraq War
- Kurdish Civil War
- Herat Uprising
- Balochistan conflict
- Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war
- Iranian intervention in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Iranian Armed Forces are the largest in the Middle East in terms of active troops.[5] Iran's military forces are made up of approximately 425,000 active-duty personnel plus 100,000 reserve and trained personnel that can be mobilized when needed, bringing the country's military manpower to about 525,000 total personnel.[1] These numbers do not include Law Enforcement Command or Basij.
Most of Iran's imported weapons consist of American systems purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with limited purchases from Russia in the 1990s following the Iran–Iraq War.[6][7] However, the country has since then launched a robust domestic rearmament program,[8] and its inventory has become increasingly indigenous. According to Iranian officials, most of the country's military hardware is domestically manufactured, and the country had already become an exporter of arms by the 2000s.[9] Unable to import weapon systems from abroad due to international and U.S. sanctions, and suffering from an increasingly aging air force fleet, Iran has invested considerable funds into an ambitious ballistic and cruise missile program for long-range strike capability,[10] and has manufactured different types of arms and munitions, including tanks, armoured vehicles and drones, as well as various naval assets and aerial defense systems.[11][12][13][14]
Iran's ballistic missile and space program is an internationally hot political topic over which it has consistently refused to negotiate. Iranian authorities state that the country's missile program is not designed to deliver nuclear payloads, but used only for surgical strikes, and is therefore not relevant to any nuclear negotiations with the P5+1.[15][16]
The Iranian drone program has also raised concerns across the Middle East and much of the Western world, especially with proliferation among Iranian-allied forces in the Middle East, as well as exports to countries hostile to the U.S.[17] According to U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the U.S is "for the first time since the Korean War operating without complete air superiority" due to threats posed by Iranian drones.[18]
All branches of the armed forces fall under the command of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. The Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics is responsible for planning logistics and funding of the armed forces and is not involved with in-the-field military operational command. The commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the Supreme Leader.