The US and Iran are on the brink of war as tensions continue to rise between the two sides, which have been at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The U.S. has moved a significant amount of its military power, including aircraft carriers, to the region in the past few weeks, even as regional allies continue full-scale de-escalation efforts.
While the US, the world’s leading military power, has an overwhelming advantage on paper against Iran should the two countries go to war, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has shown that absolute numbers can be deceiving on the battlefield.
Here’s a look at how the US and Iran stack up
Order
According to the Global Firepower Rankings, 2026, the US has the most powerful military in the world. Iran, on the other hand, is ranked 16th.
Active staff
The US surpasses Iran in terms of active personnel. The US has around 1.33 million active personnel, while Iran has an estimated 610,000. The US has another 799,500 reservists and Iran has 350,000 reservists who can be called up in the event of war.
Military budget
The gap between the US and Iran is even more pronounced when it comes to defense budget allocations, with Washington spending around $895 billion. Iran has a modest annual defense budget of $15 billion.
Military aircraft
The US has an arsenal of more than 13,000 aircraft, which are among the most advanced fighters in the world. On the other hand, Iran is estimated to have around 550 aircraft. Iran’s air force is dominated by an aging fleet of Soviet-era MiGs and Sukhoi. Iran also has several Chinese Chengdu J-10C fighter jets and domestically developed fighters that are based on the Northrop F-5 airframe of the 1960s and 1970s.
Marine vessels
The US could bring about 440 vessels to the battle on the seas, including 11 aircraft carriers, nine helicopter carriers, 66 submarines and 83 destroyers. Iran brings a total of 109 naval assets, not including aircraft carriers or destroyers. Iran’s naval fleet is dominated by 25 submarines and 21 patrol vessels.
Ground Force
Even if the US is outnumbered here, Iran could hold its own in a ground battle. In terms of tanks, the U.S. has 4,666, while Iran holds 2,675. The U.S. has a total of 409,660 armored vehicles, while Iran has 75,939. In terms of self-propelled artillery, the U.S. has 1,521 to Iran’s 424. The U.S. has 1,878 towed artillery and Iran has 1,803. they also have an arsenal of 1,731 mobile missile projectors, while Iran has 1,550.
The shots
While the U.S. has around 25,000-30,000 missiles in all fields, Iran’s strength is its array of about 3,000 ballistic missiles, which, unlike the U.S. stockpile, is stored at home.
Drones
Another strength of Iran is its drones. While the US has more advanced military drones, Iran’s strength lies in its kamikaze drones, which are much cheaper. Iran relies on its own Shahed-136 and Shahed-139 drones, which are used for long-range one-way strikes. Originally developed by Iran, the Shahed-136 has been battle-tested by Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine and is widely regarded as one of the breakthrough military technological developments of recent years.