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Military power of Saudi Arabia & Iran
Saudi Arabia vs Iran
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Saudi Arabia is a country located in Middle East with an area of 2,149,690 km2 (land boundries: 4,272 km and costline 2,640 km). The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh. The number of inhabitants is 34,218,169.
Saudi-led coalition of Arab states invaded Yemen in 2015. The inventory of the Saudi military forces, including the SANG, includes a mix of mostly modern weapons systems from the US and Europe. The United States is the leading supplier of armaments. In 2021 Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer.
More about Saudi Arabia militaryIran is a country located in Middle East with an area of 1,648,195 km2 (land boundries: 5,894 km and costline 2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)). The capital of Iran is Tehran. The number of inhabitants is 83,183,741.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed in May 1979. The IRGC was a highly institutionalized and parallel military force to Iran’s regular armed forces. The Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and mostly older foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian, Soviet, and US origin. Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs.
More about Iran militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 SA |  IR | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 75 billion $ | 10 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 7% | 2.1% |
Manpower
| SA | IR | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 480,000 | 587,000 |
| Reserve personnel: | 325,000 | 200,000 |
| Available for military: | 8,240,714 | 23,619,215 |
Land Forces
| SA | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 1,275 | 2,842 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 6,347 | 3,555 | |
| Total artillery: | 2,580 | 4,873 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 510 | 1,030 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 252 | 1,755 |
Air Forces
| SA | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 1,407 | 973 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 141 | 112 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 72 | 75 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 151 | 23 | |
| Helicopters: | 491 | 519 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 0 | 83 |
Navy
| SA | IR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 34 | 272 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 0 | 0 | |
| Destroyers: | 0 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 11 | 6 | |
| Corvettes: | 9 | 3 | |
| Submarines: | 0 | 19 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
Saudi Arabia
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Iran
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
Saudi Arabia
17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription.
Iran
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation is 18 months; women exempt from military service.
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