Iranian Armed Forces

The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the military forces of Iran. It consists of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Police Command. The International Institute for Strategic Studies has estimated since 2023 at least that the regular armed forces, the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are made up of approximately 570,000 active-duty personnel plus 350,000 reserve and trained personnel that can be mobilized when needed, bringing the country's military manpower to about 920,000 total personnel. These numbers do not include the Police Command or Basij. The IRGC was established as a separated and parallel military force after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It was established by a decree of May 1979. The IRGC is tasked with safeguarding the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic and defending the regime against internal and external threats. It operates its own ground, naval, and air units, as well as the elite Quds Force, which is responsible for extraterritorial operations. The IRGC functions independently of the Artesh and often holds significant influence in strategic, security, and economic affairs within the country. Both the Armed Forces and the IRGC provide essential security functions for Iran and coordinate regularly. But some rivalry remains, resulting from their uneven access to resources, varying levels of influence with the regime, and inherent overlap in missions and responsibilities. This setup has been criticized for its lack of transparency, limited parliamentary oversight, and its questionable contribution to national defense. Most of Iran's weapons consists of equipment from its robust domestic rearmament program, which the country launched and its inventory has become increasingly indigenous. Most of the country's military hardware is domestically manufactured, and Iran had become an exporter of arms by the 2000s. Unable...