The Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL; Persian: وزارت دفاع و پشتیبانی نیروهای مسلح, romanized: vezârat-e defa' va poštibâni-ye niruhâ-ye mosallah) is the defence ministry of Iran and part of the country's executive branch. It thus reports to the President of Iran, not to the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Unlike many countries, the ministry is not involved with in-the-field military operational command of the armed forces. Instead it is responsible for planning, logistics and funding of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran while the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a separate institution under command of the supreme leader of Iran, has control over the forces. The MODAFL is also the major player in the defence industry of Iran, with multiple conglomerates and subordinates active in research and development, maintenance and manufacturing of military equipment. It annually exports military equipment manufactured in Iran to forces of countries such as Syria (until 2024), Iraq, Venezuela, and Sudan (the latter ceased in 2019), as well as non-state actors like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The ministry is considered one of the three "sovereign" ministerial bodies of Iran due to nature of its work at home and abroad.
Contents
History
From the mid-1940s, U.S. Army and later Air Force officers of the Army Mission Iran and later Military Assistance Advisory Group Iran (ARMISH-MAAG) were closely involved in providing a range of advice, support, and reorganizational assistance.
1952–53: Reforms under Mossadegh
When Mohammad Mossadegh took over the ministry on 21 July 1952, he initiated a series of reforms in the ministry. He named General Ahmad Vossough as his deputy and renamed the ministry from 'War' to 'National Defence', cut the military budget by 15%, and vowed to only purchase defensive military equipment. Two investigatory commissions were formed, one for examining previous promotions and the other for materiel procurement. Under Mossadegh, some 15,000 personnel were transferred from the army to the gendarmerie and 136 officers, including 15 general officers, were purged.
1982–89: Two ministries
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had between 1982 and 1989 its own dedicated defence ministry, mirroring the existing ministry of defence which solely supplied the Islamic Republic of Iran Army during this period. Under President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in 1989, the two ministries were merged into one in order to cease parallel work and reduce interservice rivalry.
Subordinates
Iranian military industry, under the command of the Ministry of Defence, is composed of the following main components:
In August 2018, the Iranian Ministry of Defence declared it had offloaded its shares in Wagon Pars and Iran Airtour. In November 2020, the head of the Research and Innovation Organisation of the defence ministry, the nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated in an ambush near Tehran.
Aerospace Industries Organization
Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO, Persian: سازمان صنایع هوافضا) is a subordinate of the Iranian defence ministry and a leading high-tech complex headquartered in Tehran. It is a key player in development and production of space assets of Iran, and has some research center and factory under its control. Shahab ballistic missiles are one of notable products manufactured by the organization.
Ministers of War (1858–1979)
Reign of the Qajar dynasty
Mirza Mohammad Khan Sepahsalar (1858 – 1866)
Aziz Khan Mokri (1866 – 1868)
Kamran Mirza (1868 – 1871)
Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar (September 1871 – 1873)
Firuz Mirza (1873 – 1874)
Mohammad Rahim Khan Ala ad-Dowleh (1874 – 1874)
Mirza Hossein Sepahsalar (1874 – 1880)
Kamran Mirza (1880 – July 1896)
Mohammad Baqir Khan Shoja al-Saltaneh (July 1896 – November 1896)
Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma (25 November 1896 – October 1897)
Vajihollah Mirza Sepahsalar (October 1897 – 18 January 1905)
Kamran Mirza (February 1906 – August 1906)
Hoseyn Pasha Khan Amir Bahador (August 1906 – 28 August 1906)
Mohammad Taqi Dabir al-Dawla (28 August 1906 – 10 March 1907)
Kamran Mirza (21 March 1907 – 3 May 1907)
Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (3 May 1907 – 22 July 1908)
Hoseyn Pasha Khan Amir Bahador (22 July 1908 – 2 May 1909)