Open-source order of battle for 2026: 610,000 active troops, 636 aircraft, 112 warships, 6,676 ground vehicles.
| Domain | Strength | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force | 636 aircraft | 295 combat 160 helicopters 19 air bases |
| Islamic Republic of Iran Navy | 112 warships | 2 major combatants 2 submarines |
| Ground Forces | 6,676 vehicles | 1,713 main battle tanks |
| Nuclear Forces | Acquiring | |
| Personnel | 610,000 active | 350,000 reserve 40,000 paramilitary |
| Pillar | Weight | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manpower | 15% | 85.9 | Active, reserve & paramilitary personnel |
| Ground forces | 20% | 72.4 | Tanks, armor & artillery weighted by type |
| Naval power | 20% | 40.6 | Weighted by hull type: carrier tiers, nuclear vs conventional submarines |
| Air power | 25% | 58.4 | Weighted by aircraft type and fleet age |
| Nuclear deterrent | 10% | 6.5 | No declared nuclear capability |
| Defense budget | 10% | 60.9 | Annual spending, purchasing-power adjusted |
| Readiness | modifier | ×0.94 | Budget per soldier: proxy for training, maintenance & technology |
| Population | 91.6M (2024) |
| GDP | $475.3 billion (2024) |
| GDP per capita | $5,190 |
| Military budget | $9.5B (2024) |
| Share of GDP | 2.0% (2024) |
| Military spending per capita | $104 (2024) |
| Inflation rate | 32.46% (2024) |
| Capital | Tehran |
| Region | Asia |
| Land area | 1,531,595 km² |
| Coastline | 2,440 km |
| Land borders | 5,440 km |
| Bordering countries | 7 |
| Currency | IRR |
Iran’s defense posture is shaped by a regional rivalry with Israel and the presence of United States military assets in the Middle East. The primary security objective is the preservation of the clerical-political system and the maintenance of territorial integrity. To achieve this, Tehran employs a "forward defense" doctrine, which utilizes a network of non-state actors—collectively known as the Axis of Resistance—in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen to project influence and establish a buffer zone.
Iran is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS group. Its strategic depth is increasingly supported by a deepening military-technical partnership with Russia, formalized through long-term cooperation agreements that include intelligence sharing and joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman. A 25-year strategic agreement with China encompasses economic and security cooperation, focusing on maritime stability and infrastructure.
The Iranian military is characterized by a dual-command structure consisting of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Artesh is responsible for conventional territorial defense, while the IRGC focuses on internal security and asymmetric regional operations. Both report to the Supreme Leader through the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Total active personnel are approximately 610,000, including 350,000 in the Artesh and 190,000 in the IRGC. The Basij paramilitary force serves as a large-scale mobilization reserve, with several hundred thousand members available for internal security and auxiliary roles.
Ground Forces:
Air and Air Defense Forces:
Naval Forces:
Specialized Capabilities:
The Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) manages the domestic defense industrial base through state-owned entities such as the Defense Industries Organization (DIO) and the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO). The industry is largely self-sufficient in the production of missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and small arms.
Key indigenous programs include:
Iran maintains an active defense export program, providing UAV technology and missile components to Russia and several nations in Africa and South America. Production lines focus on high-quantity, low-cost asymmetric assets to offset gaps in conventional aviation and heavy armor.
The 2025 and 2026 defense budgets reflect a shift toward high-technology modernization, with increased allocations for the IRGC’s aerospace and cyber divisions. Defense spending is estimated at approximately 3% of GDP, though this figure excludes extra-budgetary funding derived from oil quotas and commercial activities.
Doctrinal shifts emphasize "deterrence by punishment," utilizing precision-guided munitions and drone swarms to target an adversary's critical infrastructure. Iran is also expanding its space-based capabilities, using the Simorgh and Ghaem-100 launch vehicles to deploy military communication and reconnaissance satellites. Modernization priorities include the acquisition of Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters and the development of long-range cruise missiles to extend the country's operational strike range.
Two separate reports published on August 4, 2026 say five months of war with Iran have consumed virtually all of the US Army's long-range precision missiles and between 38 and 80 percent of its THAAD interceptors. The Pentagon disputes the figures.
GlobalMilitary.net's conflict tracker has logged 129 aircraft destroyed since the war began on February 28, 2026. Uncrewed aircraft account for 60 of them, and a single type, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, for 36.
GlobalMilitary.net inventory data weighted by fleet size puts the average North Korean combat aircraft design at 65 years old, against 33 for the United States and 20 for the United Kingdom.
Ukraine's Security Service says long-range drones hit a Project 12418 missile boat, the sanctioned freighters Port Olya 2 and Begey and a Lukoil oil platform on the night of July 25, 2026. Iran says one of its sailors was killed.
Berlin confirmed on 23 July that the minehunter Fulda and the tender Mosel are leaving Djibouti for the eastern Mediterranean, with no prospect of a European mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Three Saronic Corsair one-way attack drones destroyed a docked Ghadir-class midget submarine at Bandar Abbas Naval Base over the weekend of July 12-13, in what CENTCOM called the first combat employment of armed sea drones by US forces.