2024-01-19 09:54:21
1/19/2024-|Last update: 1/19/202401:13 PM (Mecca time)
Tensions escalated between Iran and Pakistan after the Pakistani army launched strikes targeting the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan in response to a missile attack launched by Tehran against the “Army of Justice” organization in Pakistan.
Islamabad recalled its ambassador from Tehran the day before yesterday, Wednesday, while the two countries repeatedly exchange accusations of allowing armed elements active from each other’s territories to launch attacks, but government forces from both sides rarely intervene, and the new strikes are the largest cross-border incursion during the past few years.
Although relations between the two countries were marred by some tension in the past, these strikes are unprecedented, and as a result some observers believe that this tension may lead to the outbreak of a new regional war, while others have reduced this possibility.
The two countries share a land border estimated at about 700 kilometers, with Pakistan located to the southeast of Iran, and while the area of Pakistan is about 800 thousand square kilometers, the area of Iran reaches 1.65 million square kilometers.
As Pakistani-Iranian relations enter a stage of crisis and tension, in this report we monitor some features of the strength of the two countries and their ranking on the ladder of international powers economically, militarily and humanly.
Pakistani army maneuvers (European)
Two regional powers
Strategic and military observers classify the two countries as two major regional powers, and according to the American Global Firepower website, the armies of the two countries are among the 20 most powerful forces in the world.
The comparison items adopted by the American military website show that both armies are superior to each other in areas over the other.
While the Iranian army excels in terms of natural factors, such as geographical location, natural resources, financial resources, logistics services, and geography, the Pakistani army appears to have the upper hand in terms of the human and military factors, and military, ground, and air forces.
Iranian army maneuvers (European)
General classification:
The Pakistani army is ranked 9th in the world in terms of overall strength, while the Iranian army is ranked 14th.
Pakistan excels in the general power factor, which is an indicator that measures resources and influence to classify the power of countries in general, and according to the military scale, it is (0.1711), while the power factor for Iran is (0.2269), and the factor increases the closer it gets to zero.
Iran has allocated about $10 billion to the defense budget, while Pakistan’s defense budget is about $6.3 billion.
Human and financial strength
The population of Pakistan is about 248 million people, with a workforce of about 106 million, while the population of Iran is estimated at about 88 million, of whom about 49 million are classified as a workforce.
The number of members of the Pakistani Armed Forces is about 654,000 in active service and 550,000 in the reserve forces, in addition to about half a million paramilitary forces.
In Iran, the active forces include about 610,000 individuals in active service, and reserve forces estimated at 350,000, in addition to 220,000 who are classified as paramilitary forces.
Pakistan’s external debt amounts to about $110 billion, which is much larger than Iran’s debt of only $8 billion, while Pakistan’s foreign reserves amount to $22.8 billion, compared to Iran’s $127 billion.
air Force
The total number of aircraft in Pakistan reached 1,434 aircraft, including 387 combat aircraft, including F-16 fighters, 60 aircraft designated for air transport, 352 helicopters, including 57 for combat missions, and 25 aircraft for special missions.
As for Iran, it owns 551 aircraft, including 186 fighters, and 86 designated for air transport. Iran also owns 129 helicopters, including 13 fighters, in addition to 10 aircraft for special missions.
Iran also has a full arsenal of drones, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has a cyber attack unit known to be responsible for numerous attacks abroad.
Ground force
- Tanks: Pakistan has 3,742 compared to 1,996 for Iran.
- Armored vehicles: 50,523 for Pakistan, compared to 65,765 for Iran.
- Self-propelled artillery: 752 for Pakistan, 580 for Iran.
- Withdrawn artillery: 3,238 for Pakistan, 2,050 for Iran.
- Mobile missile launchers: 602 for Pakistan compared to 775 for Iran.
Naval power:
The strength of Pakistan’s naval fleet is 114 naval vessels, compared to 101 naval vessels in the Iranian fleet. While Pakistan has two destroyers, Iran’s fleet is completely devoid of these vessels.
When talking about submarines, we find that the balance favors Iran, which possesses 19 pieces of them, while Pakistan possesses only 8.
The rest of the pieces are as follows:
- Frigates: 9 for Pakistan compared to 7 for Iran.
- Naval cruisers: 7 for Pakistan compared to 6 for Iran.
- Patrol ships: 69 for Pakistan compared to 21 for Iran.
- Minesweepers: 3 for Pakistan compared to 1 for Iran.
In general, the naval power of the two countries is considered modest compared to other countries, and both of them do not have aircraft carriers.
Logistics services
- Pakistan has 151 airports compared to 319 in Iran.
- Merchant ships: Pakistan 58, Iran 942.
- Ports and terminals: Pakistan 2, Iran 4.
- Logistics workforce: Pakistan 73 million, Iran 28.6 million.
Natural Resources:
- Oil production: Pakistan 101 thousand barrels, Iran 3.5 million.
- Proven oil reserves: Pakistan half a billion barrels, Iran 210 billion.
- Natural gas production: Pakistan 38 billion barrels, Iran 237.5 billion.
- Proven natural gas reserves: Pakistan 592 billion barrels, Iran 34 trillion.
- Coal production: Pakistan 4.9 million barrels, Iran 2.8 million.
In conclusion, it should be noted that Pakistan is one of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, as it began developing them in 1972, while Iran does not possess any nuclear weapons, and is always keen to emphasize that its uranium enrichment is for peaceful civilian purposes.
1705660795
#stronger #Pakistan #military #superiority #geography #supports #Iran #News