Islamic Republic of Iran Army

Classical antiquity

Early modern

A U.S. Director of Central Intelligence approved estimate wrote in December 1954:^[13]

Since 1950 the US has assisted in efforts to modernize and improve the armed forces through maintenance of military missions to the army and the gendarmerie, and through provision of military equipment. Of the $110 million in such equipment aid allocated thus far, about $76 million had been shipped by mid-1954. The mission to the army is to be augmented by five U.S. training teams at brigade or division level in early 1955. The Iranian armed forces consist of a conscript army of 120,000; a gendarmerie or rural police force of 20,000; and a small air force, navy, and frontier guard, the latter for border patrol and customs duties. The Air Force, Navy, and Frontier Guard are subordinate units of the Army. The Gendarmerie is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior, except in time of war, when it comes under army command.

Extraterritorial operations

From 1972 to 1976, Iranian troops were sent to Oman to fight with the Royal Army of Oman against the Dhofar Rebellion.^[5] In 1976, a contingent was sent to Pakistan to assist the Pakistan Army against the insurgency in Balochistan.^[5] Iranian personnel were also reportedly present in the Vietnam War.^[14]

In 2016, the special forces were deployed to fight in the Syrian civil war.^[14]

International peacekeeping missions

The Iranian Army participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the 1970s. It sent a battalion to replace Peruvian forces in the Golan Heights as part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the bulk of the forces were part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon until late 1978. Replaced by Finnish forces, Iranian peacekeepers were withdrawn in 1979 following the Islamic revolution.^[15][16]

In 1993, the Iranian Army reestablished its professional peacekeeping units and declared that they are ready to be dispatched at the UN's directive.^[17] 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,^[18] securing the release of many other countries' sailors.^[19]

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.^[20][21]

Future missions

In 2021, the Artesh announced that it would launch a satellite into space.^[22]