Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces
| Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1923−present |
| Country |
 Iran |
| Size | 350,000 active personnel 350,000 reservists |
| Part of |
 Artesh
|
| Headquarters | Tehran, Iran |
| Motto(s) | All for one, One for all, All for Iran |
| Anniversaries | 18 April |
| Equipment | 3,000 Tanks 1,550 armored fighting vehicles 2,118 Artillery pieces 365 Self-Propelled Artillery 1,500+ Multiple Rocket Launch systems 260 Helicopters 80+ Attack Helicopters 400+ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces (Persian: نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران), acronymed NEZAJA (Persian: نزاجا) is the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
In Iran, it is also called Artesh, (ارتش) which is Persian for "army." In 2007, the regular Iranian Army was estimated to have 350,000 personnel (220,000 conscripts and 130,000 professionals) plus around 350,000 reservists for a total of 700,000 soldiers according to the CSIS. Conscripts serve for 21 months and have professional military training.
Iran has two parallel land forces with some integration at the command level: the regular Artesh (Army), and the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, also known as the Sepaah (IRGC).
A national army of sorts has existed in Iran since the establishment of the Persian Empire. National armies usually appeared throughout the country's points of strength, while in times of weakness mercenaries and conscript armies were recruited temporarily from fiefdoms. The original core of full-time troops and imperial body guards were called the Immortals, these were established in 580 BC by Cyrus the Great. These were replaced by the Junishapur Shâhanshâh (King of Kings) in the Sassanid Dynasty after a period of disunity and chaos in the country. Following the Islamic invasion of Iran and eventual resurgence of Iranian dynasties a new full-time army was formed by the name of Qezelbash in the Safavid Dynasty. The Qajar period saw several attempts to re-model the traditional Iranian military based on western models. These were met with limited success at the time.
"In 1918 the Qajar armed forces consisted of four, separate, foreign-commanded military units. Several provincial and tribal forces could also be called on during an emergency, but their reliability was highly questionable. More often than not, provincial and tribal forces opposed the government's centralisation efforts, particularly because Tehran was perceived to be under the dictate of foreign powers. Having foreign officers in commanding positions over Iranian troops added to these tribal and religious concerns."
...
Wikipedia