Inside Iran’s military: missiles, militias and a force built for survival

Iran’s subject is not designed to triumph a accepted warfare against the United States oregon Israel. It is designed to past one, sorb harm and proceed warring implicit time, experts say.

That strategy is reflected some successful however the unit is built and however it is performing now, aft weeks of sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The standard of the run has been significant. More than 9,000 targets person been struck since the motorboat of Operation Epic Fury, according to a March 23, 2026, information expanse from U.S. Central Command, alongside much than 9,000 combat flights, hitting rocket sites, aerial defenses, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bid centers and weapons accumulation facilities.

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Iran’s subject is not designed to triumph a accepted warfare against the United States oregon Israel: It is designed to past one, experts say.  (Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters)

U.S. officials accidental the nonsubjective is clear. 

"We are targeting and eliminating Iran’s ballistic rocket systems … destroying the Iranian Navy … and ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during a March Pentagon briefing.

But analysts caution that the representation is much complex.

"It’s a mixed bag," Nicholas Carl, a chap astatine the blimpish American Enterprise Institute deliberation vessel and adjunct manager of the Critical Threats Project, told Fox News Digital. "On 1 hand, (Iran’s military) is severely degraded crossed the board, but the authorities inactive retains a important magnitude of capability." 

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At the bosom of Iran’s subject strategy is simply a deliberate dual structure: the accepted army, known arsenic the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) Handout via Reuters)

A ‘double army’ built to support the regime

At the bosom of Iran’s subject strategy is simply a deliberate dual structure: the accepted army, known arsenic the Artesh, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a parallel unit created aft the 1979 gyration to safeguard the regime.

According to Carl, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has shaped the equipped forces passim decades astir 1 cardinal objective: preserving the Islamic Republic and exporting its revolutionary ideology.

"You request to abstracted betwixt the IRGC and the regular army," Middle East quality adept Danny Citrinowicz told Fox News Digital. "The IRGC gets each of the budgets — amended salaries, amended equipment, amended everything."

Carl describes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arsenic a "deeply ideological praetorian guard," portion the Artesh remains a much accepted unit tasked with defending Iran’s borders.

But the favoritism is not absolute. 

"The IRGC is astir apt the much unsafe of the two, but we cannot discount the menace that the regular subject poses arsenic well," Carl said.

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A large banner depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed adjacent to a ballistic rocket successful Baharestan Square successful Tehran, Iran, successful 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Missiles stay Iran’s astir almighty weapon

Iran’s rocket programme remains the backbone of its subject power, adjacent aft extended strikes.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has spent years gathering what Carl describes arsenic the largest rocket inventory successful the Middle East.

U.S. officials accidental those capabilities person been importantly reduced with caller strikes. 

"Iran’s ballistic rocket shots fired are down 86% from the archetypal time of fighting," Caine said successful a Pentagon briefing earlier successful March, adding that drone launches person dropped by astir 73%.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said successful the aforesaid briefing that the run has sharply constricted Iran’s quality to prolong attacks. 

"The force tin nary longer sprout the measurement of missiles they erstwhile did, not adjacent close," helium said. 

But adjacent U.S. officials admit the menace persists. 

"Iran volition inactive beryllium capable to sprout immoderate missiles … and motorboat one-way onslaught drones," Hegseth said.

Carl said the diminution successful occurrence has plateaued.

"Iranian rocket and drone occurrence has dropped precipitously … astir 90% since the warfare began… but that fig has been accordant for weeks," helium said. "That means they inactive clasp capable capableness to prolong strikes crossed the region."

Citrinowicz offered a akin assessment. 

"They suffered blows, but inactive clasp the quality and inactive person the capableness to motorboat missiles for weeks to come," helium said.

U.S. estimates cited by Carl suggest astir a 3rd of Iran’s rocket capabilities stay active.

"The authorities inactive does person a important capableness to endanger targets crossed the portion … particularly arsenic it demonstrates the quality to sprout beyond 2,000 kilometers," Carl said.

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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy commandant Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed by the Israelis connected March 26, 2026, astatine an accumulation successful the confederate larboard metropolis of Bandar Abbas, Iran, successful 2024.  (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

A navy built to disrupt planetary trade

The Pentagon says it has made large gains against Iran’s naval forces.

More than 140 Iranian vessels person been damaged oregon destroyed, according to U.S. Central Command.

Caine said U.S. forces person "effectively neutralized" Iran’s large naval beingness successful the region.

But analysts pass that Iran’s naval menace was ne'er babelike connected ample ships.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is built astir "area denial capabilities," including accelerated onslaught craft, mines, missiles and drones designed to swarm adversaries and disrupt maritime movement.

"They inactive person the capableness — speedboats, drones, surface-to-sea missiles — allowing them to artifact the Strait of Hormuz," Citrinowicz said.

Carl cautioned against a communal misconception.

"It’s not technically close to accidental the Strait of Hormuz is closed … Iran is selectively denying entree … firing astatine immoderate ships portion allowing others to pass," helium said.

"Iran has to bash very, precise small to execute a meaningful effect."

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A Fighter craft is seen astatine the archetypal underground aerial unit base, called "Eagle 44" astatine an undisclosed determination successful Iran, successful this handout representation obtained Feb. 7, 2023.  (West Asia News Agency/Handout via REUTERS)

Air superiority, but not full control

U.S. officials accidental the run has achieved large advancement successful the air.

"We volition person implicit power of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace," Hegseth said.

Caine added that U.S. forces person already established "localized aerial superiority" and are expanding operations deeper into Iranian territory.

But Iran’s aerial unit was ne'er the centerpiece of its strategy. Years of sanctions person near it reliant connected aging craft and constricted modernization, making it acold little susceptible than its Western oregon determination adversaries.

"There is decidedly a setback … but Iran was ne'er built connected an aerial force," Citrinowicz said.

Instead, Iran relies connected missiles, drones and layered defenses.

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On the ground, Iran retains a cardinal advantage: its forces person mostly not been straight engaged. (Morteza Nikoubazl/Nur Photo via Getty Images)

Ground forces stay mostly intact

On the ground, Iran retains a cardinal advantage: its forces person mostly not been straight engaged.

The Artesh crushed forces, which see tens of brigades, are positioned chiefly to support Iran’s borders, according to Carl’s report.

"The crushed troops are inactive intact, cipher has invaded Iran," Citrinowicz said.

He noted that crushed forces are progressively launching drones, signaling a broader displacement successful however Iran fights.

Proxy web extends Iran’s reach

Beyond its borders, Iran’s subject powerfulness is extended done a web of proxy forces managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Carl said the Quds Force provides "leadership, materiel, intelligence, grooming and funds" to allied militias crossed the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

"The ‘Axis of Resistance’ is the cardinal mechanics by which Iran tin further regionalize the struggle … to endanger arsenic galore actors’ interests arsenic possible," Carl said.

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Iranian soldiers instrumentality portion successful a subject parade during a ceremonial marking the country's yearly service time April 17, 2024, successful Tehran, Iran.  (Getty Images)

Built to survive, not to win

Iran’s subject is besides structured to face interior threats, reinforcing its halfway purpose: authorities survival.

The effect is simply a unit built connected redundancy, asymmetry and endurance.

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Even aft weeks of sustained strikes, Iran retains capable capableness to proceed launching missiles, harassing planetary shipping and leveraging proxy forces crossed the region.

It whitethorn beryllium weakened, but it remains strategically dangerous. 

"We cannot discount the menace that the Iranian subject poses," Carl said, "it remains a unit susceptible of threatening determination and planetary security."