Force [special operations], and Basij [Popular Mobilization Army]),
Law Enforcement Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age
for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively
during the Iran-Iraq war; conscript service obligation - 18 months
(2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 20,937,348 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,434,810 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 912,569 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues Iran

Disputes - international:
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed waters on
Helmand River tributaries in periods of drought; thousands of Afghan
refugees still reside in Iran; creation of a maritime boundary with
Iraq remains in hiatus until full sovereignty is restored in Iraq;
Iran and UAE engage in direct talks and solicit Arab League support
to resolve disputes over Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu
Musa Island; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting
upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 1,223,823 (Afghanistan), 124,014
(Iraq) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic
narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to
official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users
in the country; lax anti-money-laundering regulations

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Iraq

Introduction Iraq

Background:
Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain
during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League
of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next
dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A
"republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of
military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn.
Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inc