Islamic Republic of Iran Army

January 7, 2025 | Janatan Sayeh |

Tehran’s triad: propaganda, proxies, and preparedness

The regime in Tehran finds itself increasingly besieged by challenges, ranging from the faltering influence of its regional proxies to the prospect of an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, potentially...

October 28, 2024 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

Iran reacts to Israel’s direct retaliation

Once again, in 2024, history was made in the Middle East. On October 25, Israel took credit for a long-expected military retaliation against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The attack reportedly...

October 28, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

How many air defense systems does Iran have?

Iran has seemingly focused on gaining a large quantity of defense systems - but it is unclear if any are actually effective.

October 1, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran’s president heads for Qatar as Iran’s army trains with Oman

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is heading to Qatar for the 19th Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit, aiming to strengthen diplomatic ties amid Iran’s ongoing regional maneuvers.

September 1, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iranian official claims Tehran leading in missile capabilities – is it true?

While Iran claims to be one of the top superpowers when it comes to air defenses, much of its arsenal relies on recycled ideas, material and weapons.

August 22, 2023 | |

Russia and Iran Deepen Military Cooperation

Latest Developments Iran’s regular army commander and his Russian counterpart met in Moscow on August 21. Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heydari, commander of the Ground Forces of Iran’s Artesh, met with Gen....

April 30, 2023 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

Washington Must Focus on Asia When Targeting Tehran’s Drone Technology Procurement

Asia has long served as a critical hub for military and missile technology to the Islamic Republic.

September 23, 2022 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Saeed Ghasseminejad

Biden’s Iran Policy After the Protests

The recent wave of unrest is an opportunity to reset America’s approach to the Islamic Republic.

February 8, 2022 | Bradley Bowman, Behnam Ben Taleblu, Ryan Brobst, Zane Zovak

China, Russia, and Iran Hold Trilateral Naval Drill

China and Russia, America’s increasingly aligned great power adversaries, teamed up with Iran last month to hold a trilateral naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, which Tehran...

November 17, 2021 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

A Sign That Iran Is Still Pursuing Nukes

Iranian media have reported on the identity of the new head of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear research institute.

December 5, 2020 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

Parsing Iranian Responses to the Killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi

2020 has proven to be a tough year for the Islamic Republic of Iran. It began with the killing of its most important general and terrorist mastermind, Qassem Soleimani, and now appears to be ending...

October 29, 2020 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Maj. Shane “Axl” Praiswater

Iran puts air defense assets on display

The Islamic Republic has concluded a massive air defense drill showcasing select surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), launchers, radars, and command-and-control equipment. While analysts and policymakers have...

January 10, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Alireza Nader

Expect instability in Iran for years to come

The death of Qassem Soleimani, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s terror mastermind, has been followed by seemingly massive protests throughout the country. State media have portrayed these gatherings as...

March 24, 2017 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

Spiritual Ardor and Military Might: The Story of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

This past September in an audience hall in Tehran, a prominent vocalist named Sadegh Ahangaran took to a microphone to j...

April 18, 2016 | Amir Toumaj |

Iranian boots on the ground

The first deployment of foreign regular army ground troops to the front lines of the five-year-long battle between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad came with rather le...

September 22, 2014 | Behnam Ben Taleblu |

Détente Denied: Why Saudi Arabia and Iran Can’t Move Forward

In a recent article on these pages, Alex Vatanka has written t...

November 21, 2011 | Laura Grossman Middle East Institute Viewpoints |

Sanctioning Iran’s Military-Industrial Complex

As the United States and its allies have tightened sanctions on Iran, they have sought in particular to isolate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s most aggressive inst...