To accomplish that, Tehran has done everything possible to deter and harass the enormous contingents of U. In pursuing that goal, Iran will likely avoid a full-blown war because its military is no match for the American armed forces and Washington's allies stationed in the Middle East, experts say. No Nukes, Lots Of Proxies The Iranians have a well-publicized and highly controversial nuclear program, but do not currently have the capability to make a nuclear weapon.
It added that Tehran lacks any major friends in the region: "Iran has decent relations with Russia and China but no stalwart, great-power allies. The Iranian military -- which is the eighth largest in the world based on active personnel -- is suited to pursue a strategy of asymmetrical warfare. In addition, Iranian military expenditures declined by 9. Biggest In The Middle East In terms of overall military strength, the Iranian armed forces rank 14th in the world out of countries that are ranked in by Global Firepower and Business Insider.
With some , active-duty forces and another , reserves, Iran has the largest standing military in the Middle East. The active forces are comprised of , in the regular army and at least , in the IRGC, which has the most powerful forces in the Iranian military. One of those groups, the Quds Force, was led for decades by Soleimani until his assassination in a U. The Quds Force is mostly tasked with overseas operations, predominantly in the Middle East.
Estimates of its exact number of forces vary. Perhaps more importantly, the extraterritorial use of the Quds Force provides for the enlistment of various Shi'ite militias that number, according to The Guardian, up to , fighters. The militias operate in at least five countries in the region. The English daily adds that these pro-Iranian proxy armies that engage "in a 'grey zone' of conflict that maintains hostilities below the threshold of state-on-state warfare. Like many related institutions in Iran, the Basij was first formed as a volunteer force during the Iran-Iraq War.
Also operating under the IRCG umbrella are the 20, service personnel in the naval forces, which rely first and foremost on waves of armed patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran largely lacks this capability and so relies on launching missiles. It's not possible to give precise figures but the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies says Iran has thousands of missiles of more than a dozen different types.
An Iranian media outlet reported that Fateh and Qiam missiles were used in the attack on the US base. Military analysts have also pointed to the use of these types based on images of the attack sites. The Qiam-1 missile has been widely produced since , has a range of up km and a payload an indication of how much explosive material it can carry of kg. It was used by Iran against IS fighters in June The Fateh class of missiles, which first went into service in the early s, have a slightly lower payload.
The variations of the Shahab-3 intermediate range ballistic missile have payloads of more than kg and ranges upwards of 1,km. For comparison, a US-built F35 fighter jet has a payload of up to 10,kg. Iran has up to 50 medium range ballistic missile launchers and up to short range ballistic missile launchers, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a UK-based think tank.
Iran is also testing space technology to allow it to develop longer range inter-continental missiles, according to the US report. The long-range missile programme was put on hold by Iran following the nuclear deal, according to the Royal United Services Institute Rusi , but this may now have resumed given the uncertainty surrounding that deal. In any case, many targets in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf would be within range of Iran's current short and medium-range missiles, and possibly targets in Israel as well.
This is meant to counter ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. There are a further 20, service personnel in the IRGC's naval forces. Israel's Jericho III intermediate-range ballistic missile is believed to have a range between 3, miles and 4, miles. Israel can likely also launch nuclear-armed cruise missiles from its Dolphin-class submarines , which are believed to operate near the Persian Gulf.
Iran pursued n uclear capabilities in the late s and early s, and while Tehran says it doesn't seek nuclear weapons now, its recent enrichment activity has raised questions about its true aims. Israeli officials frequently accuse Iran of being weeks or months away from producing nuclear weapons. A deal signed by Iran and five Western countries would have limited Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord in and took a hardline approach to Iran , including additional sanctions. Iran, blaming the US for reneging on the agreement, has since begun violating it. Iran also continu es to improve its missile arsenal , with at least 18 models of cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges from miles to 2, miles that are either operational or in development.
Israel also has another advantage that Iran does not: allies. The US and Israel have an extremely close relationship, cooperating on military and intelligence issues — especially Iran.
The two countries hold two alternating biennial exercises, Juniper Cobra and Juniper Falcon. The most recent Juniper Falcon exercise concluded last week. Iran has a network of proxies , most notably the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has operations across the region and around the world.
These forces don't have the capabilities of Israel or its partners but could still have an effect on a conflict. Israel regularly strikes Hezbollah targets in Syria, and the US has launched strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. A charismatic speaker, Nasrallah helps to rally and organise Tehran's Arab alliances. Hezbollah's close links to Iran were vividly illustrated when in it joined the war in Syria alongside Tehran in defence of their common ally President Bashar al-Assad.
In Iraq, Hezbollah has openly acknowledged it has supported paramilitary Shi'ite groups that are backed by Iran. In Yemen, Hezbollah has also supported the Iran-aligned Houthis in their war with a Saudi-led coalition, according to a Saudi-led coalition fighting in the country.
Hezbollah in denied it had sent any weapons to Yemen. Hezbollah has also acknowledged providing support to the Palestinian group Hamas. Hezbollah has established Iran as a major player in Lebanon, a country where the United States, Russia, Syria and Saudi Arabia and many others have competed for influence for years. Shadowy groups, which Lebanese security officials and Western intelligence say were linked to Hezbollah, carried out attacks that forced U.
Hezbollah has never confirmed or denied responsibility.
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