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 Command (Faraja).
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 610,000 active-duty personnel plus 350,000 reserve and trained personnel that can be mobilized when needed, bringing the country's military manpower to about 960,000 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 mid-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.
- ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. pp. 324–328. ISBN 9781032508955.
- ^ a b Tian, Nan; Fleurant, Aude; Kuimova, Alexandra; Wezeman, Pieter D.; Wezeman, Siemon T. (24 April 2022). "Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2021" (PDF). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Iran Military Power: Ensuring Regime Survival and Securing Regional Dominance (PDF), Defense Intelligence Agency, August 2019, p. 90, ISBN 978-0-16-095157-2, DIA-Q-00055-A
- ^ "Iran inaugurates new drone production line in Tajikistan", The Washington Post, Associated Press, 17 May 2022
- ^ "2021 Military Strength Ranking".
- ^ "The Iranian Army: Tasks and Capabilities". Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Larson, Caleb (1 April 2020). "How Iran Got Russia's Deadly MiG-29 Fighter". The National Interest. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Analysis of Defence Sector in Iran (2018 - 2023) | Size | Share". Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "How Iran's Revived Weapons Exports Could Boost Its Proxies". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Pentagon says Iran's missiles unrivaled in Middle East". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Iran Develops Air Defense Capability for Possible Regional Role". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Sutton, H. I. "Iranian Navy Building New Submarines And A 6,000-Ton Destroyer". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Beckhusen, Robert (7 September 2019). "How Does Iran's Karrar Tank Compare to The Best of the Best?". The National Interest. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "How to Combat the Iranian Drone Threat". The Defense Post. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Iran's missile programme is non-negotiable, says Rouhani". Reuters. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr (30 March 2016). "Khamenei says missiles, not just talks, key to Iran's future". Reuters. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "SFRC Approves Stop Iranian Drones Act | United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations". www.foreign.senate.gov. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Iran's Game of Drones". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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