United Statesvs Iran
On Global Firepower's 2026 index, the United States (#1) holds a clear lead over Iran (#16).
- The United States has nuclear weapons; Iran has none.
- The United States has aircraft carriers; Iran has none.
- The United States has destroyers; Iran has none.
Who leads in each area
- People and moneyUnited States leads 3 of 4
- Land forcesUnited States leads 5 of 5
- Air powerUnited States leads 7 of 7
- Naval forcesUnited States leads 6 of 7
- Nuclear weaponsUnited States leads 2 of 2
Leads count raw numbers in each category. Larger is not always stronger: a modern fleet can beat a bigger, older one.
People and money
Who can be put in uniform, and how much is spent keeping them there.
$954B
Military spending
$7.4B1.33M
Active personnel
610K800K
Reserves
350K0
Paramilitary
220KSpending is SIPRI's 2025 estimate in US dollars (United States: 3.1% of GDP; Iran: 2.1% of GDP).
Land forces
Armour and artillery: the weight an army can put on the ground.
4,666
Tanks
2,675410K
Armored vehicles
76K1,521
Self-propelled artillery
4241,878
Towed artillery
1,8031,731
Rocket artillery
1,550Air power
Fixed-wing and rotary aircraft across all branches.
13,032
Total aircraft
5511,791
Fighters
188926
Attack aircraft
215,913
Helicopters
1291,024
Attack helicopters
13610
Tankers
6917
Transports
86Naval forces
Hull counts, from carriers down to patrol boats.
465
Total fleet
10911
Aircraft carriers
09
Helicopter carriers
066
Submarines
2583
Destroyers
00
Frigates
727
Corvettes
3Nuclear weapons
Estimated warheads in military stockpiles, January 2026.
3,700
Warheads
01,770
Deployed warheads
0Compare other countries
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Profiles: United States and Iran. Sources: Global Firepower 2026, SIPRI Military Expenditure 2025 (Apr 2026), SIPRI Yearbook 2026: World Nuclear Forces.