View source for Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces

{{Short description|Land service branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces
| native_name                   = {{lang|fa|نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران}}
| image                         = IRI.Army Ground Force Seal.svg
| image_size                    = 250px
| caption                       = 
| command_structure             = {{armed forces|Iran|name=Artesh}}
| start_date                    = 1923
| country                       = {{flag|Iran}}
| garrison                      = [[Tehran]], Iran
| garrison_label                = Headquarters
| battles                       = {{unbulleted list|[[Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran]]|[[Iran crisis of 1946|Azerbaijan crisis]]|[[Joint Operation Arvand]]|[[Second Iraqi–Kurdish War]]|[[Dhofar Rebellion]]|[[Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs|Seizure of Abu Musa]]|[[Iran–Iraq War]]|[[Kurdish Civil War]]|[[2001 uprising in Herat|Herat Uprising]]|[[Syrian civil war]]}}
| anniversaries                 = 18 April
| size                          = 350,000<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dia.mil/Portals/27/Documents/News/Military%20Power%20Publications/Iran_Military_Power_LR.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=26 April 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624172320/https://www.dia.mil/Portals/27/Documents/News/Military%20Power%20Publications/Iran_Military_Power_LR.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| motto                         = ''All for one, One for all, All for Iran''
| nickname                      = 
| patron                        = 
| equipment                     = 
| equipment_label               = 
| battle_honours                = 
| commander1                    = Brigadier General [[Kioumars Heydari]]
| commander1_label              = Commander
| identification_symbol         = [[File:Flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces.svg|200px]]
| identification_symbol_label   = Flag
}}
The '''Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces''' ({{langx|fa|نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران}}, ''Niruye Zaminiye Arteše Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân''), acronymed '''NEZAJA''' ({{langx|fa|نزاجا}}, NEZAJA) are the [[ground forces]] of the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Army]].

In Iran, it is also called ''Artesh,'' ({{lang|fa|ارتش}}) which is [[Persian language|Persian]] for "army." In 2007, the regular Iranian Army was estimated to have 357,000 personnel (167,000 conscripts and 190,000 professionals) plus around 350,000 reservists for a total of 700,000 soldiers according to the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies|CSIS]].<ref name="Iran">{{cite news |title=Iranian Armed Forces |page=14 |publisher=CSIS |date=25 July 2006 |url=http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/060728_gulf_iran.pdf |access-date=19 April 2008 |archive-date=12 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612094725/http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/060728_gulf_iran.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="haaretz">{{cite news|title=How big is Iran's military?|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/background-how-big-is-iran-s-military-1.7084|access-date=7 April 2013|newspaper=|date=28 September 2009}}</ref> It is the 9th largest ground force in the world, the 9th largest armoured force globally and possesses the biggest [[Army Aviation]] fleet in the [[Middle East]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iranpress.com/iran-i130815-general_ghorbani_iran_helicopter_fleet_strongest_in_middle_east|title = General Ghorbani: Iran helicopter fleet, strongest in Middle East}}</ref> Conscripts serve for 21 months and have professional military training.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/jul/22/iran-military-uniform-gomrok-shopping-spree|title=How I learned to stop worrying and love the Iranian army|website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=23 July 2015}}</ref>

Iran has two parallel land forces with some integration at the command level: the regular '''''Artesh''''' (Army), and the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]], also known as the '''''Sepâh''''' (IRGC).

==History==
{{Main|Military history of Iran}}

===Antiquity===
A national army of sorts has existed in Iran since the establishment of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]]. National armies usually appeared throughout the country's points of strength, while in times of weakness mercenaries and conscript armies were recruited temporarily from fiefdoms. The original core of full-time troops and imperial body guards were called the [[Persian Immortals|Immortals]], these were established in 580&nbsp;BC by Cyrus the Great. These were replaced by the Junishapur [[Shahanshah|Shâhanshâh]] ([[King of Kings]]) in the Sassanid Dynasty after a period of disunity and chaos in the country. Following the Islamic invasion of Iran and eventual resurgence of Iranian dynasties a new full-time army was formed by the name of Qezelbash in the [[Safavid dynasty]]. 

===Qajar era===
The Qajar period saw several attempts to re-model the traditional Iranian military based on western models. These were met with limited success at the time.
{{Iran Army Menu}}

[[File:Ground Force Imperial Army of Iran.png|thumb|right|250px|The insignia of the Imperial Iranian Army Ground Force]]
"In 1918 the [[Military_history_of_Iran#Qajar_Empire_(1789–1925)|Qajar armed forces]] consisted of four, separate, foreign-commanded military units. Several provincial and tribal forces could also be called on during an emergency, but their reliability was highly questionable. More often than not, provincial and tribal forces opposed the government's centralisation efforts, particularly because Tehran was perceived to be under the dictate of foreign powers. Having foreign officers in commanding positions over Iranian troops added to these tribal and religious concerns."

"Loyal, disciplined, and well trained, the most effective government unit was the 8,000-man [[Persian Cossack Brigade]]. It was created in 1879 and commanded by [[Russian Imperial Army]] officers until the 1917 [[Russian Revolution]]. After that date its command passed into Iranian hands, and the brigade represented the core of the new, Iranian armed forces. Swedish officers commanded the 8,400-man Gendarmerie, organised in 1911 as the first, internal security force. The 6,000-man [[South Persia Rifles]] was financed by Britain and commanded by British officers from its inception in 1916. Its primary task was to combat tribal forces allegedly stirred up by German agents during the [[First World War]]. The Qajar palace guard, the Nizam, commanded by a Swedish officer, was a force originally consisting of 2,000 men, although it deteriorated rapidly in numbers because of rivalries. Thus, during the [[First World War]], the 24,400 troops in these four, separate, military units made up one of the weakest forces in Iranian history."<ref name=LOCIran1987>[[Library of Congress Country Studies]], [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field%28DOCID+ir0158%29 Armed Forces: Historical Background], 1987</ref>

After the First World War, the army had shrunk, but not much on paper, ostentiably numbering 25,000 in total. By 1920 it consisted of the Persian Cossacks; the Gendarmerie, expanded from two regiments that had stayed loyal; and the South Persia Rifles and the regular army, reduced to the Central Brigade in Tehran, with a theoretical strength of 2,200.{{sfn|Ward|2014|p=125-6}}

===Pahlavi era===
Following the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925, the new [[Military_history_of_Iran#Pahlavi_dynasty_(1925–1979)|Imperial Iranian Army]] became a priority. By 1941, it stood at 125,000 troops—five times its original size—and was considered well trained and well equipped. However, the army was focused on internal security operations, rather than, Farrokh says 'fighting well-led and equipped Soviet and Western armies.'<ref>Kaveh Farrokh, Iran at War: 1500-1988, Osprey Hardcover, released 24 May 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-84603-491-6}}. Page Number required (Unclear from G-Books).</ref> Ward writes that the 'army's sixteen divisions were spread across the country in their home garrisons, and only some of the western divisions had received any significant reinforcements of infantry and artillery. Maj. Gen. Hassan Mogaddam, the 5th Division commander, was put in charge of all western forces."{{sfn|Ward|2014|p=154}} The defence of the Khorramshahr-Ahvaz area was put under the navy's Rear Admiral [[Gholamali Bayandor]], with his sailors plus a brigade of the army's 6th Division.{{sfn|Ward|2014|p=155}}

In August 1941 the Soviets and British launched the [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran]], which began on 25 August and lasted until 17 September. London and Moscow had insisted that the Shah expel Iran's large German population and allow shipments of war supplies to cross the country en route to the Soviet Union. Both of these proved unacceptable to Reza Shah; he was sympathetic to Germany, and Iran had declared its neutrality in the [[Second World War]]. Iran's location was so strategically important to the Allied war effort, however, that London and Moscow chose to violate Tehran's neutrality. From the south came the British [[Paiforce]], under the command of [[Lieutenant General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Edward Quinan]]. Paiforce was made up of the [[8th Infantry Division (India)|8th]] and [[10th Indian Infantry Division|10th]] Indian Infantry Divisions, plus three other brigades. Meanwhile, the Soviets invaded from the north. Three armies, the [[44th Army|44th]], [[47th Army|47th]] and [[53rd Army (Soviet Union)|53rd]] Armies of the [[Transcaucasian Front]] under [[General]] [[Dmitry Timofeyevich Kozlov]], occupied Iran's northern provinces.

Against the Allied forces, the army was overwhelmed in three days, while the fledgling [[History of the Iranian Air Force|Imperial Iranian Air Force]] and [[History of the Iranian Navy|Imperial Iranian Navy]] suffered heavy damage. Conscripts deserted by the thousands. His institutional power base ruined, Reza Shah abdicated in favour of his young son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In the absence of a broad political power base and with a shattered army, Mohammad Reza Shah faced an almost impossible task of rebuilding.<ref name=LOCIran1987 /> There was no popular sympathy for the army in view of the widespread and largely accurate perception that it was a brutal tool used to uphold a dictatorial regime. The young shah, distancing Tehran from the European military, in 1942, invited the United States to send a military mission to advise in the reorganisation effort. With American advice, emphasis was placed on quality rather than quantity.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

The small but more confident army that resulted from American training was capable enough to participate in the 1946 campaign in Azarbaijan to put down a Soviet-inspired, separatist rebellion. During the three years of occupation, Stalin had expanded Soviet political influence in Azerbaijan and the Kurdish area in northwestern Iran. On 12 December 1945, after weeks of violent clashes, a Soviet-backed separatist [[People's Republic of Azerbaijan]] was founded. The [[Kurdish People's Republic]] was also established in late 1945. Iranian troops sent to re-establish control were blocked by Soviet Red Army units. When the deadline for withdrawal arrived on 2 March 1946, six months after the end of hostilities, the British began to withdraw, but Moscow refused, "citing threats to Soviet security," sparking the [[Iran crisis of 1946]]. Soviet troops did not withdraw from Iran proper until May 1946, following Iran's official complaint to the newly formed [[United Nations Security Council]] and intense pressure from the United States.<ref>George Lenczowski, American Presidents and the Middle East, (1990), p. 7-13</ref>

Unlike its 1925 counterpart, the 1946 Majlis was suspicious of the shah's plans for a strong army.<ref name=LOCIran1987 /> Many members of the parliament feared that the army would once again be used as a source of political power. To curtail the shah's potential domination of the country, they limited his military budgets.

From the 1966-67 edition to the 1969-70 edition, the [[IISS]] Military Balance listed the Iranian Army with one armoured division, seven infantry divisions, and one independent armoured brigade. By the 1971-72 edition, two armoured divisions, five infantry divisions, the independent armoured brigade, and other independent brigades were listed. Within two years after that, the listing quickly changed to three armoured divisions and three infantry divisions.

The 16th Armoured Division of Qazvin was established in 1963, "operational by 1970" according to its [[Farsi Wikipedia]] article.

Dramatic reforms brought in a host of western advisors and over the course of more than three decades the army was to become the world's fifth strongest by 1979. Throughout the 1970s the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces, as they were then known, underwent a rapid transformation and increase in strength. During this period, Iran established the "[[Imperial Iranian Army Aviation]]" (IIAA). It was mainly equipped with American aircraft types.

In the early 1970s the [[Sultan of Oman]] was fighting the [[Dhofar Rebellion]] with British support. As a result of Sultan Qaboos's diplomatic initiatives, the Shah sent a brigade of troops numbering 1,200 and with its own helicopters to assist the Sultan's Armed Forces in 1973. The Iranian brigade first secured the Salalah-Thumrait road. In 1974, the Iranian contribution was expanded into the Imperial Iranian Task Force, numbering 4,000. They attempted to establish another interdiction line, codenamed the "Damavand Line", running from ''Manston'', a few miles east of Sarfait, to the coast near the border with [[South Yemen]] (the PDRY). Heavy rebel opposition, which included artillery fire from within [[South Yemen]], thwarted this aim for several months. Eventually, the town of [[Rahkyut]], which the PFLO had long maintained as the capital of their liberated territory, fell to the Iranian task force.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Allen|first1=Calvin H.|last2=Rigsbee|first2=W. Lynn|title=Oman under Qaboos: From Coup to Constitution, 1970-1996|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3pV457NIE4C|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7146-5001-2}}, pp. 72-73, see also [[John Akehurst (British Army officer)|John Akehurst]], We won a war: the campaign in Oman 1965-1975, 82.</ref> The IITF remained in Oman in December 1975, then at a strength of 3,000.<ref>Area Handbook for the Persian Gulf States, 396.</ref>

The [[Library of Congress Country Studies]] volume for Iran issued in 1978 wrote that:<ref>Richard F. Nyrop (ed), Iran, a country study / Foreign Area Studies, The American University American University (Washington, D.C.). [Washington : Dept. of Defense, Dept. of the Army] : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1978. 3d ed. p401</ref>

"During the 1970s ..the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces was undergoing a rapid increase in strength; that year [sic] it was a largely mechanized and armoured force of about 220,000. In late 1977 its former organization into three army corps, with headquarters in [[Kermanshah]], [[Tehran]], and [[Shiraz]], was dropped; divisional commanders subsequently reported directly to the army commander. The army contained three armoured divisions, each with six tank battalions and five mechanised infantry battalions; four infantry divisions; four independent brigades (two infantry, one airborne and 1 special force); and the Army Aviation Command (one infantry division and one independent infantry brigade formed the Imperial Guard). These combat units.. were said to be 85 per cent operational, though some outside observers doubted this claim.
During the mid-1970s, fully 80 per cent of Iran's ground forces were deployed along the Iraqi border, though official sources maintained that a large portion could be sent anywhere in the country.. by means of air force transports. Troop deployment was expected to shift south in the late 1970s with the opening of the [[Chah Bahar]] facility."

"The rapidly growing [[Imperial Iranian Army Aviation|Army Aviation Command]], whose major operational facilities were located at [[Isfahan]], was largely equipped with American aircraft, though some helicopters were of Italian manufacture. In 1977 army aviation operated some sixty light fixed-wing aircraft, though its strength lay in its fleet of some 700 combat helicopters."<ref>Nyrop et al 1978, p404.</ref>

Two years later, Gabriel listed the major formations of the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces in the final year of the Shah, 1979, as including the 16th ([[Hamadan]]), 81st, 88th ([[Zahedan]]/[[Chah Bahar]]), and [[92nd Armored Division (Iran)|92nd Armored Division]]s.<ref>See also {{Citation |editor=Richard A. Gabriel |title=Fighting Armies: Antagonists in the Middle East – A Combat Assessment |isbn=978-0-313-23904-5 |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=27 September 1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/antagonistsinmid00gabr }}, army order of battle of 1978−79.</ref> Other data suggests one division was being organised in [[Sistan and Baluchestan Province|Sistan Baluchestan]], presumably the 88th Armoured Division. He also listed three infantry divisions, the 2nd in Tehran, the [[28th Infantry Division (Iran)|28th Infantry Division]] at [[Sanandaj]], and the [[77th Infantry Division (Iran)|77th Infantry Division]] at [[Mashad]]; two infantry brigades (the 64th at Mahabad and the 84th at Khorramabad), the [[55th Airborne Brigade]] at Shiraz and the Special Forces Brigade HQ in Tehran.

===Islamic Republic of Iran===
Immediately after the 1979 revolution a series of purges gutted the core of the army's Western trained senior commanders. These included numerous executions ordered by [[Sadegh Khalkhali]], the new [[Islamic Revolutionary Court|Revolutionary Court]] judge. Between February and September 1979, Iran's government executed 85 senior generals and forced all major-generals and most brigadier-generals into early retirement.<ref name=efraimkarsh>{{cite book| title = The Iran–Iraq War: 1980–1988| url = https://archive.org/details/iraniraqwar00kars| url-access = limited| pages = [https://archive.org/details/iraniraqwar00kars/page/n3 1]–8, 12–16, 19–82| author=Karsh, Efraim |publisher=Osprey Publishing |date= 25 April 2002 |isbn =978-1-84176-371-2}}</ref> By September 1980, the government had purged 12,000 army officers.<ref name=efraimkarsh /> These purges resulted in a drastic decline in the Iranian military's operational capacities.<ref name=efraimkarsh /> Their regular army (which, in 1978, was considered the world's fifth most powerful)<ref name=farmanfarmaian11>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121393446561799.html|newspaper=Al Jazeera|title=What makes a revolution succeed?|date=14 February 2011|last=Farmanfarmaian|first=Roxane}}</ref> had been badly weakened. A shortage of spare parts for Iran's U.S.-made and British-made equipment began to cripple Iran's military forces. The desertion rate reached 60%, and the officer corps was devastated. The most highly skilled soldiers and aviators were exiled, imprisoned, or executed.

The last general to head the Imperial Iranian Army was General [[Gholam Ali Oveissi]], who was assassinated in Paris along with his brother in 1984. He was replaced by General [[Abbas Gharebaghi]], as armed forces chief of staff, who allied with the Islamic Republic and dismantled the Imperial Iranian Army, which was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.

The two Iranian Imperial Guard divisions were combined into the [[21st Infantry Division (Iran)|21st Infantry Division]].

The purges left the Army poorly prepared when [[Iraq]] invaded Iran at the beginning of the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. A [[Central Intelligence Agency]] assessment of 7 November 1979 said that Iranian military capabilities '..had not recovered significantly since the collapse of the armed forces in the February revolution. Ground forces capabilities remain limited despite some improvement in discipline and operational readiness in recent months.'<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81B00401R000500030017-9.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123204924/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81B00401R000500030017-9.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 January 2017|title=Status of Iranian Armed Forces, National Foreign Assessment Centre, Central Intelligence Agency |date=7 November 1979|page=1}}</ref>

====Iran–Iraq War====
{{see also|Order of battle during the Iran-Iraq War}}
Iraq invaded Iran, beginning the [[Iran–Iraq War]], on 22 September 1980. Throughout the war, Iran never managed to fully recover from the post-revolutionary [[brain drain|flight]] of military personnel.<ref name=parstimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.parstimes.com/history/national_security.html|title=National Security|work=Pars Times}}</ref> Continuous sanctions prevented Iran from acquiring many heavy weapons, such as tanks and aircraft. When the invasion occurred, many pilots and officers were released from prison, or had their executions commuted to combat the Iraqis. In addition, many junior officers were promoted to generals, resulting in the army being more integrated as a part of the regime by the war's end, as it is today.<ref name=parstimes /> Iran still had at least 1,000 operational tanks, and could [[cannibalization (parts)|cannibalize]] equipment to procure spare parts.<ref name=pollack04>{{cite book|last=Pollack|first=Kenneth M.|title=Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991|year=2004|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|location=Lincoln|isbn=978-0-8032-8783-9|chapter=Iraq}}</ref>

From July 1985, the IISS started attributing an estimated three army headquarters to the Iranian Army where previously no headquarters above division level has been identified. These were identified by other sources later as the 1st Army (HQ Kermanshah), 2nd Army (HQ Tehran) and 3rd Army (HQ Shiraz).

In 1987, and on the verge of the end of the Iran–Iraq War, the Artesh was organised as follows:<ref name=LOCIran1987 />
* Three mechanised divisions,
** Each of which composed of three armoured and six mechanised battalions organised into three brigades
* Seven infantry divisions (seemingly including the 21st, [[64th Infantry Division (Iran)|64th]] and [[77th Infantry Division (Iran)|77th Infantry Divisions]]),
* One special forces division composed of four brigades,
* One airborne brigade ([[55th Airborne Brigade]]?)
* One air support command,

and some independent armoured brigades including infantry and a "coastal force."

The war finally ended in 1988.

====Post Iran–Iraq War====
A new cadre of commanders, shaped by their experiences in the war, drastically reduced reliance on foreign supplied equipment and training.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} Following the war the military pursued a dramatic restructuring, much of it under total secrecy.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} While still only a mere shadow of its pre-revolutionary self, the Artesh rapidly re-asserted its abilities and started to grow again.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

The IISS determined that at some point between 1992 and 1995 an additional army headquarters was raised (making a total of four). Later, some time between mid-1997 and mid-1999, the listing changed to that of four corps. The Jaffee Center's Middle East Military Balance 99-00 also lists the four corps the IISS had attributed.

Jane's reported in 2006 that the Army was commanded via three army level headquarters with 15 divisions.<ref name="janes1">{{cite web|url=http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jwar/jwar060829_1_n.shtml |title=Jane's World Armies profile: Iran |work=Jane's Defence News |publisher=Janes.com |date=29 August 2006 |access-date=2010-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725033831/http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jwar/jwar060829_1_n.shtml |archive-date=25 July 2008 }}</ref> The [[IISS]] reported in the Military Balance 2008 that there 12 Corps level regional headquarters, five armoured divisions with some independent brigades, seven infantry divisions with some independent brigades, one special forces brigade, two commando divisions with some independent brigades, plus an airborne brigade. There were also six artillery groups, and aviation forces.<ref>IISS Military Balance 2008, p.242</ref> The number of divisions reported has not changed for some years. Often reported formations include the [[23rd Special Forces Division]], established in 1993–94, and the [[55th Airborne Brigade of Shiraz|55th Paratroop Division]]. ''Jane's Sentinel Security Assessments'' reports that the 23rd Special Forces Division is amongst the most professional formations in the Iranian Army, with at least 6,000 personnel, all of whom are believed to be regulars.

The regular armoured divisions, including the [[92nd Armored Division]], are sub-divided into three brigades.

==Structure== 
=== 2012 ===

[[Globalsecurity.org]] says on its page on the Iranian Army:<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/army.htm Iranian Army]. [[GlobalSecurity.org]]. Accessed August 2012.</ref>
[[File:IRIA soldiers marching in formation (1).jpg|thumb|IRIA Soldiers marching in formation]]
* "The regular army.. has a number of independent brigades and groups, though there is almost no reliable data on the size and number of these smaller independent formations. These include one logistics brigade, an infantry brigade, an airborne brigade, special forces ([[Takavar]]) brigades, and five artillery brigades/regiments. There are also coastal defence units, a growing number of air defence groups, between four and six army aviation units, and a growing number of logistics and supply formations."
* "There are a variety of other reports of doubtful veracity. Some sources claim that small light formations in the regular army include an Airmobile Forces Group created after the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. This formation is said to include the 29th Special Forces Division, which was formed in 1993-1994, and the 55th Paratroop Division. Other sources claim that the commando forces of the regular army and [[IRGC]] are integrated into a Corps of about 30,000 soldiers, with integrated helicopter lift and air assault capabilities. These airborne and special forces troops are said to train together at [[Shiraz]]."

Many of these assessments appear to be [[copyright violations]] from research conducted by the Burke Chair in Strategy at the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]], Washington DC, for example, an [http://www.susris.com/documents/2012/120221-csis-iranmilbal.pdf updated military balance report]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} dated 2012.(see also [https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/120711_Iran_Gulf_MilBal.pdf CSIS Iran and Gulf Military Balance, 11 July 2012, p51]

Most soldiers of the Iranian Army are well trained and determined, but their equipment is outdated or obsolete.  They primarily use outdated Western-style equipment or newer, locally produced equipment, which is lower quality.  Commanders generally appoint men to high level positions based on loyalty, rather than military skills.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://strategypage.com/qnd/iran/articles/20120909.aspx|title=Iran: So Many Secrets Are Secret No More|website=strategypage.com}}</ref>

Since 2010 Iranian Army has undergone a reorganization process called Thamen alaeme general structure plan (طرح جامع ساختاری ثامن الائمه), this plan includes transformation from a division-centered model towards a brigade-centered model, a re-positioning of Army bases, the adding of new units and an increase in mobility of existing army units. To that effect, it has sheered off some brigades from existing divisions as well as establishing new brigades alongside of them. By March 2012 31 new independent brigades have been established throughout the army.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mashreghnews.ir/fa/news/110691/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%DB%8C-10-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B4 |title=Introducing of 10 new army achievements|publisher=Mashreghnews.ir |date= March 2012 |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mashreghnews.ir/fa/news/206970/%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%AC%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%AF |title=Unveiling of new army achievements |publisher=Mashreghnews.ir |date= April 2013 |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref>

The commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces is [[Brigadier General]] [[Kioumars Heydari]].

==Iranian Army commissioned officers and enlisted ranks==
{{main|Rank insignia of the Iranian military}}
;Officers
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armed Forces/OF/Blank}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Iran}}
|}

;Enlisted
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Blank}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Iran}}
|}

==Equipment==
{{Main|List of equipment of the Iranian Army}}
[[File:18-Karar tank -تانک کرار.jpg|thumb|242x242px|[[Karrar (tank)|Karrar]] Main Battle Tank, The most advanced Iranian tank in service ]]
[[File:Zolfaghar3Tank1.jpg|thumb|250px|An Iranian-made [[Zulfiqar tank]]]]
[[File:Naze'at Missile by Tasnimnews 02.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Naze'at]] long-range artillery rockets]]

Iran's main battle tanks include an estimated ~1500 or possibly more, indigenous [[Zulfiqar MBT]]s, 480 [[T-72S]], 150 M-60A1s, 75 T-62s, 100 [[Chieftain tank|Chieftain Mk 3/Mk 5]] MBTs, 540 T-54/T-55/Type 59s, and 150 M-47/M-48s.<ref>[[International Institute for Strategic Studies]], The Military Balance 2009, Routledge for the IISS, London, 2009, p.245</ref> Separately reported are [[Karrar (tank)|Karrar]] tanks.

The [[Zulfiqar (tank)|Zulfiqar]] is the [[defense industry of Iran|defence industry of Iran]]'s most recent [[main battle tank]], named after the twin-pointed [[Zulfiqar|legendary sword]] of Ali. Born as the brainchild of [[Brigadier General]] Mir-Younes Masoumzadeh, deputy ground force commander for research and self-sufficiency of the armed forces, the vehicle has been developed from major components of the American [[M60 Patton|M-60]] tank. One of the features which has drawn the attention of the Defense Ministry is that indigenously-made parts have been used in it. The prototypes of the tank were tested in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes were produced and tested in 1997. The [[IISS]] estimates that around 150 Zulfiqar 1's are now in service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/september-2009/how-big-is-irans-military/ |title=How big is Iran's military? |publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=28 September 2009 |access-date=2010-02-13 |archive-date=17 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217135829/http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/september-2009/how-big-is-irans-military/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The main [[attack helicopter]] of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army is the [[AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1J Sea Cobra]]. The number of AH-1Js in service was estimated by the IISS in 2009 as 50,<ref>IISS Military Balance 2009, p.245</ref> though 202 were delivered before the 1979 [[Iranian Revolution]]. Iran also operates an unknown number of the [[Panha 2091]], which is an unlicensed, locally-made upgrade of the AH-1J.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw010827_1_n.shtml |title=Panha hovers between repair and manufacturing |work=Jane's Air Forces News |publisher=Janes.com |date=27 August 2001 |access-date=2010-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016110850/http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw010827_1_n.shtml |archive-date=16 October 2009 }}</ref>

The main [[transport helicopter]] of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army is the [[CH-47 Chinook|CH-47C Chinook]]. The number of CH-47Cs in service was estimated as 20 though 57 were delivered before the 1979 [[Iranian Revolution]]. Islamic Republic of Iran Army lost one of them in 2011.

== Commanders ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder               = y
| showimage               = y
| officeholder_title      = Commander-in-Chief
| showtermlenght          = y
| showparty               = n
| showref                 = y
}}
|-
| colspan="7" align="center"| '''Commander of the Imperial Iranian Ground Force'''
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = 
| military_rank     = General 
| officeholder      = [[Bahram Aryana]]
| officeholder_sort = Aryana, Bahram 
| born_year         = 1906
| died_year         = 1985
| term_start        = 1955
| term_end          = 1958
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1955|1958}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = ارتشبد عبدالحسین حجازی.jpg
| military_rank     = General 
| officeholder      = {{ill|Abdolhossein Hejazi|fa|عبدالحسین حجازی}}
| officeholder_sort = Hejazi, Abdolhossein 
| born_year         = 1904
| died_year         = 1969
| term_start        = 1958
| term_end          = 1961
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1958|1961}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             =  
| military_rank     = General 
| officeholder      = [[Reza Azimi]]
| officeholder_sort = Azimi, Reza 
| born_year         = 1909
| died_year         = 1999
| term_start        = 1961
| term_end          = 1965
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1961|1965}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             =  
| military_rank     = General 
| officeholder      = {{ill|Ezzatollah Zarghami (Field marshal)|fa|عزت‌الله ضرغامی (ارتشبد)|lt=Ezzatollah Zarghami}}
| officeholder_sort = Zarghami, Ezzatollah 
| born_year         = 
| died_year         =  
| term_start        = 1965
| term_end          = 1969
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1965|1969}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = Fathollah Minbashian.jpg
| military_rank     = General 
| officeholder      = [[Fathollah Minbashian]]
| officeholder_sort = Minbashian, Fathollah 
| born_year         = 
| died_year         =  
| term_start        = 11 May 1969
| term_end          = 1972
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1969|1972}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 6
| image                   = Gholam Ali Oveissi portrait.jpg
| military_rank           = General 
| officeholder            = [[Gholam Ali Oveissi]]
| officeholder_sort       = Oveissi, Gholam Ali
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1918
| died_year               = 1984
| term_start              = 1972
| term_end                = 10 January 1979
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1972|1979}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 7
| image                   = Abdolali Badrei.jpg
| military_rank           = Lieutenant General
| officeholder            = [[Abdolali Badrei]]
| officeholder_sort       = Badrei, Abdolali 
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1919
| died_year               = 1979
| died                    = y
| term_start              = 10 January 1979
| term_end                = 11 February 1979
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1979|1979}} years
| ref               = <ref>{{cite book|author=Jean-Charles Brotons|title=U.S. Officials and the Fall of the Shah: Some Safe Contraction Interpretations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkUaOrKL3DgC&pg=PA74|year=2010|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-3340-8|page=74}}</ref><ref name=sah10>{{cite news|author=Mohammad Sahimi|title=The Ten Days that Changed Iran|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/02/fajr-10-days-that-changed-iran.html|accessdate=31 July 2013|work=PBS|date=3 February 2010}}</ref>
}}
|-
| colspan="7" align="center"| '''Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces'''
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 1
| image                   = Chief_of_Staff_General_Valiollah_Fallahi.JPG
| military_rank           = Brigadier general
| officeholder            = [[Valiollah Fallahi]]
| officeholder_sort       = Fallahi, Valiollah 
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1931
| died_year               = 1981
| term_start              = 1979
| term_end                = 1980
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1979|1980}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 2
| image                   = Qasem-Ali_Zahirnejad.jpg
| military_rank           = Brigadier general
| officeholder            = [[Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad]]
| officeholder_sort       = Zahirnejad, Qasem-Ali
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1924
| died_year               = 1999
| term_start              = 1980
| term_end                = 1981
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1980|1981}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 3
| image                   = General Shirazi.jpg
| military_rank           = Lieutenant general
| officeholder            = [[Ali Sayad Shirazi]]
| officeholder_sort       = Sayad Shirazi, Ali
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1944
| died_year               = 1999
| term_start              = 1 October 1981
| term_end                = 2 August 1986
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1981|10|1|1986|8|2}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 4
| image                   = MG_Hosein_Hasani_Sadi_2016(cropped)_).jpg
| military_rank           = Colonel
| officeholder            = [[Hossein Hassani Sa'di]]
| officeholder_sort       = Hassani Sa'di, Hossein 
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               = 1940
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 2 August 1986
| term_end                = 8 May 1991
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1986|8|2|1991|5|8}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 5
| image                   = 
| military_rank           = Brigadier general
| officeholder            = {{ill|Abdollah Najafi|fa|عبدالله نجفی}}
| officeholder_sort       = Najafi, Abdollah 
| officeholder_note       =
| born_year               =  
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 8 May 1991
| term_end                = 25 October 1994
| timeinoffice            = {{age in years|1991|5|8|1994|10|25}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 6
| image             = Ahmad Dadbin (01).jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = {{ill|Ahmad Dadbin|fa|احمد دادبین}}
| officeholder_sort = Dadbin, Ahmad 
| born_year         = 1955
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 25 October 1994
| term_end          = 1997
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1994|1997}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 7
| image             = 13980726000153 Test PhotoN.jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = {{ill|Abdolali Pourshasb|fa|عبدالعلی پورشاسب}}
| officeholder_sort = Pourshasb, Abdolali 
| born_year         = 
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 1997
| term_end          = 10 February 2001
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1997|2001}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 8
| image             = Nasser Mohammadifar (cropped).jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = {{ill|Nasser Mohammadifar|fa|ناصر محمدی‌فر}}
| officeholder_sort = Mohammadifar, Nasser 
| born_year         =  
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 2001
| term_end          = 2005
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|2001|2005}} years
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 9
| image             = Mohammad-Hossein Dadras 2018jpg.jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = [[Mohammad-Hossein Dadras]]
| officeholder_sort = Dadras, Mohammad-Hossein
| born_year         =  
| died_year         =  
| term_start        = 2005
| term_end          = 2008
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|2005|2008}}
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 10
| image             = Ahmadreza_Pourdastan.jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = [[Ahmad Reza Pourdastan]]
| officeholder_sort = Pourdastan, Ahmad Reza
| born_year         = 1956 
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 2008
| term_end          = 19 November 2016
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|2008|2016}}
| ref               = 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 11
| image             = Kioumars_Heidari_by_tasnimnews_(cropped).jpg
| military_rank     = Brigadier general
| officeholder      = [[Kioumars Heydari]]
| officeholder_sort = Heydari, Kioumars
| born_year         = 1964 
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 19 November 2016
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2016|11|19}}
| ref               = <ref>{{cite web |title=انتصاب جانشین فرمانده کل ارتش و فرمانده نیروی زمینی ارتش |trans-title=Appointment of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Commander of the Army Ground Forces |url=https://farsi.khamenei.ir/message-content?id=34939 |website=farsi.khamenei.ir |access-date=28 September 2021 |language=fa |date=20 November 2016}}</ref>
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Iran}}
* [[International rankings of Iran#Military and defense|International armed forces/military rankings of Iran]]
* [[List of armies by country]]

==References==
{{Country study}}
{{reflist}}
* {{Citation |editor=Richard A. Gabriel |title=Fighting Armies: Antagonists in the Middle East – A Combat Assessment |isbn=978-0-313-23904-5 |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=27 September 1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/antagonistsinmid00gabr }} – includes army order of battle of 1978−79
* {{cite book|ref={{harvid|CSI|1989}}|first=Helen C.|last=Metz|author-link=Helen Chapin Metz |title=Iran : a country study|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|place=Washington, D.C.|date=1989|series=Area Handbook Series, DA Pam 550-68.}} For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. "Research completed October 1987."
* {{cite book|first=Steven R.|last=Ward|title=Immortal: a military history of Iran and its armed forces|publisher=Georgetown University Press|date=2014|isbn=9781626160323}}

==Further reading==
* Ervand Abrahamian, A History of Modern Iran, 2018
* Stephanie Cronin, "The Army and the Creation of the Pahlavi State in Iran, 1910–1926."
* Echo of Iran, "Iran Almanac and Book of Facts," annual, 1961-1970 (1970 was ninth edition). Lists divisions; 1966 edition lists Imperial Guard Brigade; 2nd Division Tabriz; 3rd Division Azarbaijan; 4th Div [[Rezaiyeh]]; 5th Div [[Gorgon]]; 8th Div [[Ahwaz]]; and [[Mashad]] Division.
* Kaveh Farrokh, Iran at War: 1500-1988, Osprey Hardcover, released 24 May 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-84603-491-6}}.
* Gregory F. Rose, The Post-Revolutionary Purge of Iran's Armed Forces: A Revisionist Assessment, Iranian Studies, Vol. 17, No. 2/3 (Spring – Summer, 1984), pp.&nbsp;153–194.
* Ẕukāʼ, Yaḥyá, The Imperial Iranian Army from Cyrus to Pahlavi, Imperial Iranian Armed Forces Committee for the Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire, 1970.
* [[Peter Oborne]] and David Morrison, A Dangerous Delusion, 2013. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10021251/A-Dangerous-Delusion-by-Peter-Oborne-and-David-Morrison.html Review] by [[Michael Axworthy]], [[The Daily Telegraph]], 27 Apr 2013.
* Lieutenant Colonel A. Pavlov, "Iran's Ground Forces," Zarubezhnoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, no. 10 (October 1987), translated in Joint Publications Research Service-UFM-88-003, May 9, 1988, 13.
* Sepehr Zabir, The Iranian Military in Revolution and War (RLE Iran D), First Published 1988; eBook Published 27 April 2012, Routledge, London. DOI [https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203829066 The Iranian Military in Revolution and War (RLE Iran D)]
* Donald N. Wilbur, "Iran Past and Present," [[Princeton University Press]], 1963 – p.&nbsp;147 describes up to six corps and multiple divisions.

== External links ==
* CSIS, [https://www.csis.org/analysis/iran-and-gulf-military-balance-parts-i-ii-tenth-edition Iran and the Gulf Military Balance: Conventional and Asymmetric Dimensions], revised 6 January 2013

{{NEZAJA}}
{{Islamic Republic of Iran Army}}
{{Iran Military}}
{{Commanders of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic Republic of Iran Army}}
[[Category:Military of Iran]]
[[Category:Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army| ]]