Iranian military power: Strength, weapons and how Israel defends against Iranian attacks

The Iranian military power is one of the most formidable in the Middle East. It combines a large standing army with extensive missile forces, drone capabilities, and regional proxy networks.

The Squirrels examines the current strength of Iran’s army, navy, air force, and IRGC below. It also explores the origins of Iran’s weapons and how effectively Israel defends against Iranian offensives.

Structure of Iran’s armed forces

Iran’s military is split between the regular forces (Artesh) and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Both report directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader.

The Artesh includes the army, navy, air force and air defence branches. The IRGC controls additional ground, naval, aerospace and cyber units, along with the large Basij militia.

Iran’s armed forces comprise

•    350,000 regular army troops
•    190,000 IRGC troops
•    ~350,000 reservists
•    Up to 600,000 Basij militia (mobilisable)

In total, Iran maintains 600,000+ active troops, making it one of the region’s largest militaries.

Iran’s army: Tanks, artillery and ground forces

Iran’s conventional army still uses many US and British weapons acquired before 1979.
Since sanctions, it has developed an impressive domestic arms industry.

The army operates

•    ~10,500 main battle tanks (US M60A1/3, British Chieftain, Russian T-72, Iranian Zulfiqar)
•    ~6,800 artillery pieces
•    ~640 armoured personnel carriers
•    Attack helicopters: AH-1J Cobras, Mi-17s, CH-47s

Iran continues to modernise older tanks and develop new variants like the Zulfiqar-3 and Tosan light tank.

Iran’s navy: Conventional and asymmetric

Iran’s naval power is split between the Artesh navy and the IRGC’s asymmetric “swarm” force.

The Artesh navy has

•    3 Kilo-class submarines (Russian-built)
•    Several frigates, corvettes and destroyers
•    Anti-ship missiles (C-802 clones)

The IRGC Navy specialises in fast-attack boats, midget subs and missile craft. It controls over 80 small vessels, mines, and coastal missiles — designed to threaten US and Israeli shipping in the Gulf.

Iran’s air force and air defences

Iran’s air force relies on older US-built and Soviet-era jets:

•    ~312 combat aircraft (F-14, F-4, F-5, MiG-29, Su-24)
•    Helicopters: CH-47, AH-1J, Mi-17 variants

To compensate, Iran has built up powerful surface-to-air missile (SAM) defences:

•    S-300 systems from Russia
•    Domestically produced Bavar-373 SAMs
•    S-200 long-range systems
•    Hawk, Tor and HQ-2 short/medium-range missiles

Iran unveiled Azarakhsh, a mobile air defence system for intercepting drones and low-flying aircraft.

Iran’s missile arsenal: A core strength

Iran has invested heavily in its ballistic missile programme. It possesses one of the largest missile stockpiles in the region. Key Iranian missiles are

•    Khorramshahr (2,000 km)
•    Shahab-3 (1,500–2,000 km)
•    Fateh-110 (short-range tactical)
•    Sejjil (solid-fuel MRBM)
•    Hypersonic Fattah missile (claimed)

In April 2024, Iran fired 1,100–1,500 ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel’s defences intercepted most — but not all.

Iran’s drones and cyber warfare

Iran has rapidly developed its UAV industry. Hundreds of Iranian-made drones are now used by Russia, Hezbollah, Houthis and Iranian forces. Iran’s drone arsenal includes

•    Shahed-136 loitering munition (suicide drone, 1,000 km range)
•    Shahed-129 MALE drone (Predator-class)
•    Mohajer, Karrar, Ababil series

These drones can target Israeli cities, airbases and naval vessels. Swarm drone attacks are a rising concern for Israel.

In cyber warfare, Iran’s Cyber Command and Basij units conduct espionage and offensive operations against Israeli, US and Gulf state targets.

Iran’s proxies: A regional force multiplier

Iran’s most effective asymmetric weapon is its proxy network. The IRGC-Quds Force supplies weapons, funds and training to

•    Hezbollah (Lebanon) – up to 120,000 rockets pointed at Israel
•    Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Gaza)
•    Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria
•    Houthis in Yemen (firing drones and cruise missiles at Israel via the Red Sea)

These proxies give Iran plausible deniability and allow multi-front attacks on Israeli targets.

Israel’s defensive systems against Iran

Israel’s multi-layered air defence is among the most advanced globally:

•    Iron Dome: intercepts short-range rockets (90%+ success)
•    David’s Sling: medium-range missiles
•    Arrow-2 and Arrow-3: long-range and exo-atmospheric missile interceptors
•    Patriot and THAAD: additional coverage

In April 2025, Israel intercepted over 90% of Iranian missiles during a large-scale attack. However, Israel’s missile interceptors are costly (£2–3 million each) and limited in number. Military experts warn that stocks could run low after 10–12 days of intense barrages.

Where Israel is vulnerable

Israel dominates in air superiority and cyber capabilities. However, it remains vulnerable to

•    Saturation attacks (hundreds of simultaneous rockets/drones)
•    Hezbollah’s vast rocket stockpile
•    Drone swarms
•    Multi-front attacks from Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis and Iraqi militias
•    Cyber attacks on infrastructure

Iran vs Israel – Key capabilities

Notes: Iran’s figures are drawn from open military assessments and reports. Israeli figures come from IDF publications and defence databases. The table highlights hardware capacity, not effectiveness. For example, Israel’s Iron Dome intercept rate (>90%) is a performance metric, while Iran’s missile count is an inventory size.

In a future war, Iran would likely try to overwhelm Israeli defences by volume, testing the resilience of Israel’s interception systems.

The Iranian military balances ageing conventional forces with advanced missiles, drones and regional proxies.

Israel’s defences can counter most traditional attacks. But if Iran coordinates large-scale barrages, drones and proxy assaults, Israel could face a prolonged and costly defence effort. Maintaining ammunition reserves and US support will remain vital for Israel’s deterrence posture.