About Artesh
The Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces (Persian: ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Arteš Jumhuriye-e Eslâmi-e Irân, abbr. AJA), commonly known as Artesh (ارتش), is the conventional armed forces of Iran and one of Iran's two armed services, the other being the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of the country from external and internal threats and to project power. The main spokesman for the Armed Forces is Ebrahim Zolfaghari.
The Artesh's headquarters coordinates its four separate service branches: the Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force.
Both the Armed Forces and the IRGC provide essential security functions for Iran and coordinate regularly. But some rivalry remains, resulting from their uneven access to resources, varying levels of influence with the regime, and inherent overlap in missions and responsibilities.
