This is a list of

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

and

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. The name can refer to members of regular units who have successfully completed

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

or Ranger training courses and marines trained as

Frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some Europea ...

, or the hand-selected and highly trained members serving in special forces.

Terminology

''Niruye vizheh'' (نیروی ویژه), plural ''niruhaye vizheh'' (نیروهای ویژه) is the Persian term for " special force". This term is used in the official name for the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade. IRI

''Takavar'' (تکاور), plural ''Takavaran'' (تکاوران), literally meaning "attack-trooper", is the equivalent of "

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

". The word "Commando" (کماندو) is also used in Persian. The term "Ranger" (رنجر) is also used in some Army units. ''Tofangdārān-e daryyi'' (تفنگداران دریائی) or ''takavaran-e daryayi'' (تکاوران دریایی) means "

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

". The word ''havabord'' (هوابرد) is used to refer to an airborne unit.

Takavar units

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

In the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

, one of its five branches, the elite

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

specialises in extraterritorial operations. In the Ground Forces, the Saberin Battalions (containing the Saberin Takavor Brigade, 110th Salman Farsi Special Operations Brigade, and the 33rd Al-Mahdi Airborne Brigade) are the most famous special units. The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has its own Special Units of marines.

Army

;Ground Forces Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army units whose members are trained at Lashkarak Takavar Training Centre: *

23rd Takavar Division 23rd Ranger Division () is a Takavar division of the Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army based in Parandak, Tehran province. During the Iran–Iraq War, the division was mainly engaged in fighting on the Northern front including ar ...

based in Parandak * 58th Takavar Division (''Zolfaghar'' Division) based in

Shahroud Shahrud ( , also written as: shahrood , shahroud) is a city in the Central District of Shahrud County, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Archeological excavations in different parts o ...

* 25th Takavar Brigade based in Pasveh * 35th Takavar Brigade based in

Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

* 45th Takavar Brigade based in Shushtar * 55th Airborne Brigade based in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

* 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade (''NOHED'' Brigade) based in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Navy

Velayat 94 Military exercise 03 by Mbazri

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN; ), also referred as the Iranian Navy (abbreviated NEDAJA; ), is the naval warfare service branch of Iran's regular military, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''). I ...

marines () whose members are trained at Manjil Takavar Training Centre: * 1st Marine Brigade (''Imam Hossein'' Brigade) based in Bandar Abbas * 2nd Marine Brigade (''Hazrat Rasul-i-Akram'' Brigade) based in

Bushehr Bushehr (; ) is a port city in the Central District (Bushehr County), Central District of Bushehr County, Bushehr province, Bushehr province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Etymology The roots of the n ...

* 3rd Marine Brigade (''Hamza Sayyid-ush-Shuhda'' Brigade) based in Konarak During the reign of the last Shah (king) of Iran, much of the naval training was created by members of the Soviet Union's

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

and the British

Special Boat Service The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roy ...

. Training is at least a 12-month process. After the recruit demonstrated the minimum physical requirements, he is sent to a collection of schools.

Police

In the

Law Enforcement Force of Islamic Republic of Iran The Police Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, abbreviated as Faraja ( ), is the uniformed police force in Iran. The force was created in early 1992 by merging the Shahrbani (, ), Gendarmerie (, ), and Islamic Revolutionary Committees (, ) ...

, special forces are known as ''Yegan Vijeh'' (). The

Anti-Terror Special Force The NOPO () officially standing for Counter-terrorism Special Force (), and in some sources Guardians of the Islamic Jurist Special Forces () is an Iranian Special forces, special force acting under ''Amīr al-Mu'minīn Unit'' of Iranian Police Sp ...

(''NOPO'') is the most elite unit within the force.

References

External links

{{Special forces of Iran