Iran

Personnel & posture

Active personnel

610k

Reserve / mobilization pool

350k

Mobilization window

~7 days to full field army

GDP (est.)

$430B

Order of battle

• IRGC — missile cities

  • Underground TEL complexes (west)8 – 15

    Kermanshah & Tabriz tunnels

  • Fateh-110 / Shahab-3 brigades40 – 80
  • Emad / Ghadr MRBM80 – 150
  • Shahab-3 MRBM (TEL)40 – 60

    Kermanshah & western mountains

  • Fateh-110 SRBM300 – 500

    Precision — tunnel launch

  • Fattah hypersonic (claimed)10 – 20

    Limited deployment

  • Sejjil MRBM20 – 40

    Solid-fuel

• IRGC — loitering munitions

  • Shahed-136 one-way attack2,000 – 4,000

    Kashan training hub

  • Shahed-129 / Mohajer UCAV800 – 1,200

• Air defense

  • S-300PMU24 – 6
  • Bavar-3736 – 10
  • Tor-M1 / Khordad40 – 60

• IRGC-N & Artesh Navy

  • IRGC-N fast attack craft200 – 400
  • Coastal ASCM (Abu Mahdi / Ghadir)30 – 50
  • Kilo-class SSK (Artesh)3
  • Mowj-class frigates4 – 6

• IRGC — loitering munitions

  • Shahed-136 OWA2,000 – 4,000

    Kashan-trained swarms

  • Shahed-129 UCAV200 – 400

    Recon/strike

  • Mohajer-6 / Ababil800 – 1,200

    Tactical ISR

• IRGC-N — asymmetric

  • Fast attack craft200 – 400

    Swarm and mine warfare

  • Abu Mahdi ASCM40 – 80

    1,000 km anti-ship

  • Ghadir midget submarine20 – 30

    Coastal infiltration

• Artesh Navy — conventional

  • Kilo-class SSK3

    Russian-built

  • Mowj-class frigate4 – 6

    Jamaran, Dena

• Axis of Resistance support

  • Proxy training & supply—

    Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq pipelines

Bases & infrastructure (32)

• Ministry of Defence (Tehran)

  hub

  Supreme national command

• Isfahan missile industrial complex

  factory

  Ballistic missile production

  missiles

• Bandar Abbas naval hub

  port

  Gulf strike staging

  naval

• Kharg Island oil terminal

  port

  Export revenue lifeline

  oil

• Chabahar port

  port

  Indian Ocean access

  trade

• Kerman air base region

  airport

  Central air operations

  air

• Hormuz coastal defense

  military base

  Strait chokepoint defense

  naval

• Kenesht Canyon complex (Kermanshah)

  military base

  Deep-mountain TEL garrisons — Shahab-3 & Fateh-110 westward.

  missiles

• Panj Pelleh (Kosar) tunnel base

  military base

  Underground logistics tunnels opposite Borujerd — rapid TEL rollout.

  missiles

• Bakhtaran missile base (Kermanshah)

  military base

  Underground galleries, blast doors, reinforced launch pads.

  missiles

• Tabriz Isar-2 / Isar-4 tunnel matrices

  military base

  Northern strategic arsenal — active launch corridors.

  missiles

• Bidganeh / Shahid Modarres complex (Karaj)

  research

  Solid-fuel research, heavy transport, ballistic testing west of Tehran.

  missiles

• Parchin military industries (Tehran area)

  factory

  Missile and explosives R&D — high scrutiny site.

  missiles

• Khojir missile production complex

  factory

  Eastern Tehran missile assembly.

  missiles

• Hormozgan cliff missile garrisons

  military base

  Camouflaged coastal sites — Abu Mahdi & Ghadir ASCM.

  naval · missiles

• Qeshm Island IRGC-N garrison

  port

  Forward base for swarm craft and coastal missiles.

  naval

• Jask coastal launch sites

  military base

  Mobile anti-ship and drone staging on Gulf of Oman.

  naval

• Kuhestak coastal drone pads

  military base

  Hormuz approaches — mass drone swarm launch.

  drone

• Kashan Air Base (drone school)

  airport

  Shahed-129/136 training and test hub for proxies.

  drone

• Chabahar airfield (long-range UAV)

  airport

  Indian Ocean UAV operations — Gulf of Oman coverage.

  drone

• Bandar Abbas Naval HQ (Artesh)

  port

  Mowj-class frigates, Kilo submarines, main fleet command.

  naval

• Bandar-e Mahshahr naval support

  port

  Northern Gulf logistics.

  naval

• Greater Tunb Island garrison

  military base

  Strait forward IRGC-N post.

  naval

• Lesser Tunb Island outpost

  military base

  Persian Gulf chokepoint surveillance.

  naval

• Shahid Mahdavi forward base (converted merchant)

  port

  240 m mobile sea base — radar, SAM, and TEL platform.

  naval

• Isfahan missile industrial complex

  factory

  Ballistic missile production.

  missiles

• IRGC headquarters (Tehran)

  hub

  Revolutionary Guards national command.

  command

• Strait of Hormuz IRGC coastal grid

  port

  Mine & fast-boat interdiction threat.

  shipping · oil

• Hormuz mine risk zone

  port

  IRGC coastal interdiction.

  shipping · oil

• Hormuz IRGC coastal command

  port

  Mine risk and transit toll enforcement.

  shipping · oil

• Isfahan missile industrial cluster

  factory

  Covert strike target — Israeli interest.

  missiles

• IRGC-QF advisory node

  hub

  Strategic coordination.

  command

Deployable units (27)

• IRGC Aerospace Force HQhq
• Kermanshah missile tunnel brigadefacility
• Kashan drone training wingdrone
• Shahed-136 attack regimentdrone
• Bandar Abbas Naval Basenavy
• IRGC-N swarm flotilla (Qeshm)navy
• Abu Mahdi ASCM coastal batterynavy
• Bavar-373 SAM brigadesam
• Quds Force operations centerarmy
• Bidganeh solid-fuel research complexfacility
• IRGC Aerospace Force commandhq · Missile & drone national authority
• Shahab-3 MRBM brigade (Kermanshah)facility · Western theater — Israel reach
• Fateh-110 precision SRBM battalionfacility · Kosar tunnel rapid fire
• Emad / Ghadr MRBM regimentfacility · Isfahan sector
• Shahed-136 one-way attack regimentdrone · Kashan-trained delta-wing swarms
• Shahed-129 MALE UCAV squadrondrone · Recon/strike over Gulf
• Abu Mahdi ASCM coastal batterynavy · 1,000 km anti-ship reach
• Ghadir submarine (midget sub) flotillanavy · Bandar Abbas — Gulf infiltration
• Kilo-class SSK squadron (Artesh)navy · Conventional diesel subs
• Mowj-class frigate group (Jamaran/Dena)navy · Domestic surface combatants
• IRGC-N fast attack swarm groupnavy · Zolfaqar/Tondar speedboats — Qeshm
• Bavar-373 SAM brigadesam · Tehran area strategic air defense
• S-300PMU2 battalionsam · Isfahan coverage
• Tor-M1 / Khordad point defensesam · Capital point defense ring
• Shahid Mahdavi sea base detachmentnavy · Mobile forward staging
• Proxy force training cell (Kashan)facility · Export drone ops to allies
• IRGC logistics hub (Tehran)facility · Theater sustainment

Theater glossary

IRGC

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — parallel military controlling missiles, drones, and IRGC Navy.

IRGC Aerospace

Branch operating ballistic missiles, space launch, and one-way attack drones.

Missile city

Hardened tunnel complex for TEL storage — built to survive bunker-busters.

Shahed-136

Delta-wing one-way attack drone used in swarms against ships and cities.

Abu Mahdi

Iranian anti-ship cruise missile with ~1,000 km range — Gulf escalation risk.

Artesh

Regular Iranian Army — conventional navy includes Kilo subs and Mowj frigates.

Axis of Resistance

Iran-aligned network — Hezbollah, Houthis, militias in Iraq/Syria.

TEL

Transporter-erector-launcher — mobile missile truck hidden in tunnels.

Chokepoint

Narrow sea or land passage where trade or military traffic can be blocked.

Rare earth

Elements used in magnets, motors, and precision weapons — China dominates refining.

SPR

Strategic Petroleum Reserve — emergency crude stockpile.

TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing — advanced logic fab cluster.

Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz — ~20% of global oil transits.

Malacca

Strait of Malacca — busiest shipping lane between Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Suwałki corridor

Poland–Lithuania land bridge — NATO logistics vulnerability.

Cobalt belt

DRC–Zambia mining corridor — battery supply chain.

Lithium triangle

Chile–Argentina–Bolivia brine deposits — EV battery input.

Grain corridor

Black Sea / Danube export routes — global food security.

Red Sea corridor

Bab el-Mandeb through Suez — Houthi interdiction risk.

Taiwan Strait lane

Kaohsiung–Busan chip & container sea lane under blockade exercise.

Black Sea grain lane

Odesa/Danube export routes under missile and mine threat.

Horn access lane

Djibouti–Massawa–Assab Red Sea port competition axis.