Islamic Republic of Iran Army

The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Persian: ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Arteš Jumhuriye-e Eslâmi-e Irân, abbr. AJA), commonly known as Artesh, is the conventional armed forces of Iran and one of two of Iran's armed services (the other being the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps). It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of the country from external and internal threats and to project power. The Artesh has its own Joint Staff 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. In addition to the army, Iran also maintains the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a separate military force established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It was established by a decree of May 1979. The IRGC is tasked with safeguarding the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic and defending the regime against internal and external threats. It operates its own ground, naval, and air units, as well as the elite Quds Force, which is responsible for extraterritorial operations. The IRGC functions independently of the Artesh and often holds significant influence in strategic, security, and economic affairs within the country. The dual military structure of the Artesh and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has led to structural inefficiencies, these include overlapping command hierarchies, redundant logistics networks, and parallel military systems across all service branches. This setup has been criticized for its lack of transparency, limited parliamentary oversight, and its questionable contribution to national defense.