The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Tuesday (13) the end of all channels of dialogue with Iran, in response to the violent repression of protests that are shaking the country and have already left hundreds dead, according to human rights organizations. Trump also encouraged protesters to take over state institutions and promised aid, although he did not specify what kind of aid he would be sending.
Later, in an interview with an American broadcaster, Trump promised a “very strong” response against the Islamic regime if it began executing protest participants. This Wednesday (14), during a press conference at the White House, the president stated that the United States will “observe” the situation in Iran before removing the military option from the table, adding that he received information that, so far, there are no plans to execute protesters in the Persian country.
In response to Trump’s statements, Iranian authorities stated on Tuesday that the country is “prepared” to defend itself “to the last drop of blood” in the event of a military offensive by the US, which removed part of its personnel from a military base in Qatar this quarter.
Despite Tehran’s rhetoric, an analysis of military capability data, based on information from the website Global Firepowerreveals that the United States currently maintains a broad and structural military advantage over the Islamic regime.
Below, see the comparison of forces between the two countries.
Non-field power
The United States has highly professionalized armed forces, with broad integration between the Army, Air Force and Navy, as well as advanced logistics, joint command capabilities and great mobility in operations outside the national territory.
Americans currently have, according to data from the Global Firepower, 1,328,000 active military personnel and 799,500 reservists. Iran, in turn, has 610,000 active soldiers and 350,000 reservists, in addition to 220,000 members of paramilitary forces, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In replacement capacity, about 4.45 million Americans reach military age per year, compared to 1.41 million Iranians, which guarantees a huge American advantage in prolonged conflicts.
The United States has 4,640 tanks, compared to Iran’s 1,713. In armored vehicles, the difference is even greater: 391,963 American units, compared to 65,825 Iranian ones. In artillery, the US has 671 self-propelled systems, while Iran has 392.
O Global Firepower does not disclose countries’ detailed missile stocks for strategic reasons, but assesses that, even after last year’s Israeli attacks, Iran still managed to preserve a relevant part of its ballistic capacity. During the so-called “12 Day War”, where it faced Israel and was bombed by the USA, the Islamic regime suffered losses in launchers, bases and support systems, but still maintained, according to the survey, one of the largest arsenals of short and medium-range ballistic missiles in the Middle East, considered a central piece of its regional deterrence strategy.
In turn, the United States, according to the survey, has a vast number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, precision weapons, anti-missile defense systems, satellites and advanced intelligence, which forms an integrated military architecture that increases its technological superiority.
naval power
According to the Global Firepowerthe United States has a fleet of 440 vessels, the second largest in the world, including 11 aircraft carriers, including the most modern and most powerful in the world – the USS Gerald Ford – 81 destroyers, 70 submarines, in addition to several amphibious assault and logistical support ships.
In turn, Iran has 107 vessels, does not operate aircraft carriers and has only 25 submarines. Currently, the Persian country focuses its naval strategy on coastal defense, fast vessels and sea mines and area denial, especially in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
air power
In the sky, the disparity between Iran and the USA is even more pronounced. Americans operate, according to data from the Global Firepower13,043 aircraft, including 1,790 fighters, 889 attack aircraft, 918 transport aircraft, 605 tankers and 647 special mission aircraft.
Iran has only 551 aircraft, of which 188 are fighters, 21 attack, 87 transport and only 6 aerial refueling planes. The limitation drastically reduces Iran’s ability to carry out prolonged air operations on or outside its territory, while the US is able to sustain long-lasting, global air campaigns.
nuclear power
The United States has the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world. According to data released by international organizations, the Americans possess more than 5,000 nuclear weapons, with hundreds of strategic and tactical warheads integrated into their deterrence doctrine, capable of being launched by ballistic missiles, submarines and bombers.
Iran, in turn, does not have nuclear weapons. The Islamic regime maintained a nuclear program that it claimed had exclusively civilian purposes, aimed at generating energy and scientific research, but assessments by international agencies and Western intelligence services began to point to activities considered incompatible with a purely civil project.
Given these suspicions, facilities linked to the Iranian nuclear program were the target of US bombings during the 12 Day War. The Americans claim that they reached all strategic infrastructures of the Islamic regime’s nuclear program, which later acknowledged having suffered significant damage to its facilities. Apparently, Tehran currently has no known capacity to produce or employ operational nuclear warheads.
