Army comparison: 
Iran vs 
Saudi Arabia
Iran operates 6,676 active military vehicles vs 5,608 for Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Iran has 0 and Saudi Arabia has 140 vehicles in storage.
Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
IranGround pillar #10
72.4
Ground pillar / 100
Iran leads on 4 of 7 categories
Saudi ArabiaGround pillar #21
66.9
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS ground pillar (vehicles × category weight, active + 0.3 × stored) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| Iran | Saudi Arabia | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total vehicles | 6,676 | 5,608 | 🇮🇷 1.2× |
| In storage | 0 | 140 | 🇸🇦 |
| On order | 800 | 177 | 🇮🇷 4.5× |
| Main battle tanks | 1,513 | 945 | 🇮🇷 1.6× |
| Artillery pieces | 3,798 | 993 | 🇮🇷 3.8× |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | 1,365 | 3,670 | 🇸🇦 2.7× |
| Active military personnel (all branches) | 610,000 | 257,000 | 🇮🇷 2.4× |
| Reserve military personnel (all branches) | 350,000 | 0 | 🇮🇷 |
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
| Infantry fighting vehicles | 610 | 380 | 🇮🇷 1.6× |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 640 | 1,190 | 🇸🇦 1.9× |
| Self-propelled artillery | 292 | 320 | 🇸🇦 1.1× |
| Towed artillery | 2,030 | 416 | 🇮🇷 4.9× |
| Rocket artillery | 1,476 | 257 | 🇮🇷 5.7× |
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
Analyst Assessment
Run the wargame simulation →Verdict
Edge: Iran
Iran's army is the heavier and deeper force, fielding roughly 1,500 tanks, nearly 3,800 artillery pieces and 610,000 active troops against Saudi Arabia's 945 tanks and 257,000 regulars, which gives Tehran the overall edge in mass, firepower and mobilisation. Saudi Arabia counters with markedly better equipment quality — M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, CAESAR and M270 — and a Western sustainment chain Iran cannot match, making the gap narrower in a short, high-intensity engagement than the raw counts suggest.
Domain by domain
Armour
Even
🇮🇷 Iran1,513 MBTs but ageing and mixed: 540 Safir 74, 480 T-72, 168 M48A5. 800 domestic Bani Hashim Karrar on order. Quantity and indigenous upgrades substitute for modern armour, optics and fire control.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia945 MBTs, 575 of them M1 Abrams with modern fire control, thermal sights and composite armour, plus 370 older M60A3 TTS. Fewer hulls, but a decisive per-vehicle qualitative advantage.
Artillery & rocket forces
Edge: Iran
🇮🇷 Iran3,798 tubes and 1,476 rocket launchers: 985 M-46, 540 D-30, 700 Type 63 MRL, 600 Fajr 1. Doctrine built on saturation fire and massed rocket barrages; only 292 self-propelled guns.
Mechanised infantry
Edge: Saudi Arabia
🇮🇷 Iran610 IFVs (400 BMP-2, 210 BMP-1), 640 APCs led by 300 BTR-50 and 200 M113, only 115 light armoured vehicles. Limited protected mobility for a 610,000-strong force; much of the infantry moves unarmoured.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia3,670 armoured fighting vehicles: 380 M2 Bradley, 1,190 M113, 1,800 M-ATV and 300 AML-90. High protected-mobility ratio per soldier, well suited to dispersed border and desert operations.
Reserves & mobilisation
Edge: Iran
🇮🇷 Iran610,000 active and 350,000 reserves, backed by a large paramilitary mobilisation base. Depth allows sustained attrition, territorial defence in depth and force regeneration over months.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia257,000 active and no formal army reserve. The force is what is fielded on day one; losses and fatigue cannot readily be replaced from a trained pool.
Sustainment & industry
Even
🇮🇷 Iran6,676 active vehicles with no storage reserve, but domestic production of tanks, rockets and artillery under sanctions gives autonomy in spares and ammunition, albeit at modest technical standards.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia5,608 active vehicles, 140 in storage, 177 on order; near-total reliance on US and French supply chains, contractor support and imported munitions, which is efficient but externally dependent.
Wildcards
- Terrain and defensive depth Iran's mountainous interior favours dispersed, artillery-heavy defence; the Arabian interior is open desert that rewards mobility, air-ground integration and long-range precision fires rather than massed towed guns.
- External access and support Saudi ground forces operate inside a Western logistics, training and intelligence framework, with resupply and contractor maintenance available. Iran sustains itself under sanctions, trading technical quality for independence.
- Force employment record Both armies have recent operational exposure — Iranian ground and paramilitary formations regionally, Saudi units in border and expeditionary operations — but neither has fought a large-scale mechanised campaign against a peer ground force.
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Editorial assessment produced from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more armored vehicles, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Iran has a larger ground force with 6,676 vehicles compared to Saudi Arabia's 5,608 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Iran operates more main battle tanks with 1,513 compared to Saudi Arabia's 945.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Iran has 610 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Saudi Arabia's 380.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia operates 1,190 APCs compared to Iran's 640.
Which country has more artillery systems, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Iran fields 3,798 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to Saudi Arabia's 993.