The Islamic Republic of Iran Army[9] (Persian: ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران), acronymed AJA (Persian: آجا), simply known as the Iranian Army or the Artesh (Persian: ارتش, romanized: Arteš,(Ərtēš)), is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces.[10] It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of the country from external and internal threats and to project power.[10]
| Islamic Republic of Iran Army | |
|---|---|
| ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران
ARTEŠ-E JOMHURIY-E ESLĀMI-E IRĀN | |
 Seal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army | |
  Flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army | |
| Motto | |
| Founded |
|
| Current form | 1979 (Islamic Republic) |
| Service branches |
|
| Headquarters | Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Tehran |
| Website | aja |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief | Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Hossein Dadras |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18[6] |
| Conscription | 21 months |
| Active personnel | 420,000[7]
|
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $18.4 billion (2024)[8] |
| Related articles | |
| History | |
| Ranks | Rank insignia of the Iranian military |
The Artesh has its own Joint Staff[11] 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.[10]
History
editClassical antiquity
editEarly modern
editMissions and deployments
editThe 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,[3] 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.[3]
Extraterritorial operations
editFrom 1972 to 1976, Iranian troops were sent to Oman to fight with the Royal Army of Oman against the Dhofar Rebellion.[3] In 1976, a contingent was sent to Pakistan to assist the Pakistan Army against the Insurgency in Balochistan.[3] Iranian personnel were also reportedly present in the Vietnam War.[12]
In 2016, members of the special forces of Iran were deployed to fight in the Syrian civil war.[12]
International peacekeeping missions
editThe 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.[13][14]
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.[citation needed]
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
editThe 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.[18][19]
Future missions
editIn 2021, the Iranian Army had announced that it will launch a satellite into space.[20]
Anniversary
editEquipment
editCommanders
editMilitary academies
editSymbols and uniforms
edit| Branch | Insignia | Flag | Uniform colors and patterns | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Combat | Specialized | |||
| Ground Force | |||||
| Air Defence Force | |||||
| Air Force | |||||
| Navy | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shahbazi, A. Sh. (August 12, 2011) [December 15, 1986]. "ARMY i. Pre-Islamic Iran". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 5. Vol. II. New York: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 489–499. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Cronin, Stephanie (2012), The Making of Modern Iran: State and Society under Riza Shah, 1921-1941, Routledge, pp. 37–38, ISBN 978-1136026942
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ "Army Sacrificed for the Nation", Hamshahri (in Persian), 16 April 2008, 48998, retrieved 1 June 2017
- ^ Ward, Steven R. (2014), Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces, Georgetown University Press, p. 209, ISBN 9781626160651
- ^ "How I learned to stop worrying and love the Iranian army", Tehran Bureau, The Guardian, 23 July 2015, retrieved 25 October 2017
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. pp. 324–328. ISBN 9781032508955.
- ^ Rome, Henry (17 June 2020), "Iran's Defense Spending", The Iran Primer, The United States Institute for Peace
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c 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
- ^ Hossein Aryan (November 15, 2011), The Artesh: Iran's Marginalized and Under-Armed Conventional Military, Middle East Institute, retrieved December 15, 2015
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Mays, Terry M. (2010), Historical Dictionary of Multinational Peacekeeping, Historical Dictionaries of International Organizations, vol. 29, Scarecrow Press, p. 279, ISBN 978-0810875166
- ^ Iran: Country Study Guide, World Country Study Guide Library, vol. 78, Int'l Business Publications, 2005, p. 141, ISBN 0739714767
- ^ "Iranian Peacekeepers Ready to Serve UN Missions, Anytime, Anywhere—Army Colonel". United Nations Information Centre - Tehran. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ Wilkin, Sam (8 April 2015). Pomeroy, Robin (ed.). "Iran deploys warships off Yemen's coast". Reuters. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ Wilkin, Sam (7 January 2012). Pomeroy, Robin (ed.). "US navy frees Iranians held by pirates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ 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
- ^ "ورود ارتش ایران به باشگاه سازندگان ماهواره". Khabar Fori. 2021-12-31.
External links
edit- Official site of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Archived 2016-10-02 at the Wayback Machine