US Trends

how big is the iranian military

Iran’s military is generally estimated at around 610,000 active-duty personnel , with roughly 350,000 reserves and additional mobilizable forces, bringing total manpower to about 960,000 in some estimates.

Quick Scoop

  • Active personnel: about 610,000.
  • Regular army (Artesh): about 420,000 in one breakdown.
  • IRGC (Revolutionary Guard): about 190,000.
  • Reserves / trained mobilizable personnel: about 350,000.

What that means

Iran has one of the largest standing militaries in the Middle East.

The exact total depends on whether you count only active-duty troops or also reserves and paramilitary forces like the Basij.

Simple takeaway

If you want the short answer: Iran’s military is big — roughly 600,000 active troops, and close to 1 million when reserves are included.