The Islamic Republic of Iran Army , acronymed AJA (Persian: آجا), simply known as the Iranian Army or the Artesh (Persian: ارتش, romanized: Arteš,(Ərteš)), is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of the country from external and internal threats and to project power.
The Artesh has its own Joint Staff which coordinates its four separate service branches: the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force.
In addition to the army (Artesh), Iran also maintains the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a separate military force established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 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.
The dual military structure of the Artesh and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has led to structural inefficiencies, these include overlapping command hierarchies, redundant logistics networks, and parallel military systems across all service branches. This setup has been criticized for its lack of transparency, limited parliamentary oversight, and its questionable contribution to national defense.
History
Main articles: Military history of Iran, Naval history of Iran, and Air force history of Iran
See also: List of wars involving Iran
Classical antiquity
Main articles: Military of the Sasanian Empire and Seleucid army
Early modern
Main articles: Military of Safavid Iran and Military of Afsharid Iran
Missions and deployments
The Iranian army has fought against two major invasions in contemporary times. The 1941 invasion by the Allies of World War II resulted in a decisive loss for the Iranian forces, the deposition of Iran's Shah and five years of subsequent occupation,7 while the 1980 Iraqi invasion began the Iran–Iraq War, which lasted almost eight years and ended in status quo ante bellum. The army has also been actively engaged in quelling tribal and separatist rebellions beginning in the 1940s in order to protect Iran's territorial integrity.8
Extraterritorial operations
From 1972 to 1976, Iranian troops were sent to Oman to fight with the Royal Army of Oman against the Dhofar Rebellion.9 In 1976, a contingent was sent to Pakistan to assist the Pakistan Army against the Insurgency in Balochistan.10 Iranian personnel were also reportedly present in the Vietnam War.11
In 2016, members of the special forces of Iran were deployed to fight in the Syrian civil war.12
International peacekeeping missions
Main article: Iranian peacekeeping missions
The Iranian Army participated in UN peacekeeping missions in the 1970s, sending a battalion to replace Peruvian forces in the Golan Heights as part of the Disengagement Observer Force. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the bulk of the forces were part of the Interim Force in Lebanon until late 1978. Replaced by Finnish forces, Iranian peacekeepers were withdrawn in 1979 following the Islamic revolution.1314
In 1993, the Iranian Army reestablished its professional peacekeeping units and declared that they are ready to be dispatched at the UN's directive.15 Since then, Iran has deployed forces in Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2003 and the African Union Mission in Darfur in 2012.
The Iranian Army's maritime branch has launched several missions to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia,16 securing the release of many other countries' sailors.17
Aid missions
The Iranian Army has deployed forces to help the Red Lion and Sun and Red Crescent societies in rescue and relief missions after domestic natural disasters, including clearing roads, reestablishing communications, supplying goods, airlifting equipment, transporting casualties and personnel and setting up field hospitals and post-hospital care centres.1819
Future missions
In 2021, the Iranian Army had announced that it will launch a satellite into space.20
Anniversary
Main article: Islamic Republic of Iran Army Day
Equipment
Main articles: Equipment of the Iranian Army, List of aircraft of the Iranian Air Force, List of equipment of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force, and List of current ships of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
See also: List of former Iranian naval vessels and Historical equipment of the Iranian Army
Commanders
Main articles: List of chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran and List of commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
Military academies
Main articles: AJA University of Command and Staff, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Imam Ali Officers' Academy, Shahid Sattari Aeronautical University, Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Academy, and Imam Khomeini Naval University of Noshahr
Symbols and uniforms
| Branch | Insignia | Flag | Uniform colors and patterns | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Combat | Specialized | |||
| Ground Force | |||||
| Air Defence Force | |||||
| Air Force | |||||
| Navy | |||||
See also
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islamic Republic of Iran Army.- Official site of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Archived 2016-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
References
Army in the Passage of History: Annals, Revolution, the Holy Defense (in Persian). University of Command and Staff. 2012 [1391]. p. 48. ISBN 978-964-2523-38-2. 978-964-2523-38-2 ↩
Simon, Rita J.; Abdel-Moneim, Mohamed Alaa (2011), A Handbook of Military Conscription and Composition the World Over, Lexington Books, pp. 152–153, ISBN 978-0739167526 978-0739167526 ↩
Simon, Rita J.; Abdel-Moneim, Mohamed Alaa (2011), A Handbook of Military Conscription and Composition the World Over, Lexington Books, pp. 152–153, ISBN 978-0739167526 978-0739167526 ↩
Hossein Aryan (November 15, 2011), The Artesh: Iran's Marginalized and Under-Armed Conventional Military, Middle East Institute, retrieved December 15, 2015 http://www.mei.edu/content/artesh-iran%E2%80%99s-marginalized-and-under-armed-conventional-military ↩
Simon, Rita J.; Abdel-Moneim, Mohamed Alaa (2011), A Handbook of Military Conscription and Composition the World Over, Lexington Books, pp. 152–153, ISBN 978-0739167526 978-0739167526 ↩
"Two Armies, One People and No Security". www.visegrad24.com. 2025. Retrieved 2025-05-09. https://www.visegrad24.com/articles/two-armies-one-people-and-no-security ↩
Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (August 12, 2011) [December 15, 1986]. "ARMY v. Pahlavi Period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 5. Vol. II. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 508–514. Retrieved March 15, 2016. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/army-v ↩
Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (August 12, 2011) [December 15, 1986]. "ARMY v. Pahlavi Period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 5. Vol. II. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 508–514. Retrieved March 15, 2016. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/army-v ↩
Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (August 12, 2011) [December 15, 1986]. "ARMY v. Pahlavi Period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 5. Vol. II. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 508–514. Retrieved March 15, 2016. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/army-v ↩
Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (August 12, 2011) [December 15, 1986]. "ARMY v. Pahlavi Period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 5. Vol. II. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 508–514. Retrieved March 15, 2016. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/army-v ↩
Qaidaari, Abbas (28 April 2016). "Who sent Iranian Green Berets to Syria?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-05-02. Retrieved 29 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160502064150/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/04/iran-army-brigade-65-green-berets-syria-deployment.html ↩
Qaidaari, Abbas (28 April 2016). "Who sent Iranian Green Berets to Syria?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-05-02. Retrieved 29 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160502064150/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/04/iran-army-brigade-65-green-berets-syria-deployment.html ↩
Mays, Terry M. (2010), Historical Dictionary of Multinational Peacekeeping, Historical Dictionaries of International Organizations, vol. 29, Scarecrow Press, p. 279, ISBN 978-0810875166 978-0810875166 ↩
Iran: Country Study Guide, World Country Study Guide Library, vol. 78, Int'l Business Publications, 2005, p. 141, ISBN 0739714767 0739714767 ↩
"Iranian Peacekeepers Ready to Serve UN Missions, Anytime, Anywhere—Army Colonel". United Nations Information Centre - Tehran. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2016. http://www.unic-ir.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1191:iranian-peacekeepers-ready-to-serve-un-missions,-anytime,-anywhere%E2%80%94army-colonel&catid=9:eventenglish&Itemid=228&lang=en ↩
Wilkin, Sam (8 April 2015). Pomeroy, Robin (ed.). "Iran deploys warships off Yemen's coast". Reuters. Retrieved 25 April 2016. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-iran-navy-idUSKBN0MZ11C20150408 ↩
Wilkin, Sam (7 January 2012). Pomeroy, Robin (ed.). "US navy frees Iranians held by pirates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 April 2016. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/20121619222856166.html ↩
Razani, Reza (1973), The Engineering Aspects of the Qir Earthquake of 10 April 1972 in Southern Iran: A Report to the National Science Foundation, National Academies, p. 141 ↩
Abolghasemi, Hassan; Poorheidari, Gholamreza; Mehrabi, Ali; Foroutan, Ghasem (October 2005), "Iranian military forces in the Bam earthquake", Military Medicine, 170 (10): 859–861, doi:10.7205/MILMED.170.10.859, PMID 16435759 /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
"ورود ارتش ایران به باشگاه سازندگان ماهواره". Khabar Fori. 2021-12-31. https://www.khabarfoori.com/بخش-دفاعی-32/2916826-ورود-ارتش-ایران-به-باشگاه-سازندگان-ماهواره ↩