Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has recently entered the forefront of American conversation. The activist, who has advocated for Palestinians on Columbia’s campus, was recently detained; the Trump adminstration plans to deport Khalil, who has a green card, for his role in anti-Israel protests. This move highlights the close and growing relationship between the United States and Israel — or, more specifically, between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump’s willingness to support Israel, even amidst the growing conflict in Gaza, is worrisome to some world leaders. Israel and Iran have historically had geopolitical conflict. As Trump and Netanyahu strengthen their alliance, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has shared concerns about Israel becoming empowered to attack Iran’s nuclear sites. Should that happen, Araghchi warned, Iran would need to take retaliatory action. (How close is Iran to a nuclear weapon and what happens if they get one?)

As the world fast approaches what many citizens are concerned will turn into World War III, countries are beginning to shore up their technological, defense, economic, and military capabilities. Iran has already made it clear that any attack from either Israel or the United States would cause “all-out war in the region” — and that Iran would be supported by allies like Qatar. But if the two countries — Israel and Iran — did come head to head, would there be a decisive winner? At 24/7 Wall St., we decided to take a crack at answering this question. Using data from Global Firepower’s 2025 Military Strength Rating, we evaluated how Israel and Iran compare in areas like naval and aircraft fleets, military personnel and population, and more. We also looked at various other sources, including surveys from Gallup, to establish a general understanding of how much international support each nation had. The rankings are how high Iran and Israel sit compared to the 145 total global powers assessed under the 2025 Military Strength Rating.

This previously published article was updated in March 2025 to reflect growing tensions between Israel and Iran, and to highlight what might occur should these tensions intensify further. 

Why This Topic is Important in 2025

Both Iran and Israel have large economies, and both countries spend tons of money on defense. The estimated 2025 defense budget for Israel sits at USD $30.5 billion. Iran plans to increase its military budget by 200% in 2025, though the current budget numbers are still unknown. Given that a Biden-era analysis from the end of his term showed that Israel was planning on taking advantage of what it saw as Iran’s military weakness, a conflict between the two countries has the potential to explode at any moment. By breaking down how each country stacks up against the other, we can better understand what a full-fledged war between Israel and Iran would look like — and how its outcome could be impacted.

Read on for a comparison of Iran and Israeli’s military power: 

Total Population

• Iran: 88,386,937 (Rank 17)
• Israel: 9,402,617 (Rank 92)

Iran has a significantly higher population than Israel by about 78,984,320 people. With Iran’s population nearly nine times that of Israel, it has a larger potential recruitment pool for its military. However, this doesn’t guarantee an advantage given Israel’s high technological reliance and compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Available Manpower

• Iran: 49,496,685 (Rank 15)
• Israel: 3,949,099 (Rank 91)

When it comes to total manpower, Iran clearly wins, with over 45 million more individuals available for action. Out of the 145 world powers assessed by Global Firepower, Iran is in the top 20 in terms of manpower. This provides Iran with some competitive advantage over Israel.

Fit-for-Service Personnel

• Iran: 41,541,860 (Rank 14)
• Israel: 3,281,513 (Rank 89)

Iran wins in fit-for-service personnel by 38,260,347. However, Israel did rise in the ranks from 90 in 2024 to 89 in 2025, while Iran fell from 13 to 14. Though there’s still a distinct difference, it does suggest that Israel’s fit-for-service population is growing.

Population Reaching Military Age Annually

• Iran: 1,414,191 (Rank 16)
• Israel: 131,637 (Rank 85)

Considering Iran’s significantly larger population than Israel, it is no surprise that more people annually are reaching military age.

Active Personnel

• Iran: 610,000 (Rank 8)
• Israel: 170,000 (Rank 31)

Iran has 440,000 more active personnel than Israel. Iran’s significantly larger active military suggests greater manpower in a conflict, but Israel’s forces are trained for rapid deployment and high-tech combat scenarios.

Air Force Personnel

• Iran: 42,000 (Rank 15)
• Israel: 89,000 (Rank 7)

Israel has over double the Air Force personnel than Iran does. As you’ll see later in this article, Israel also holds more aircraft than Iran, so it makes sense that the country needs the Air Force personnel to back up aviation needs.

Army Personnel

• Iran: 350,000 (Rank 14)
• Israel: 526,000 (Rank 10)

Israel has 176,000 more Army personnel than Iran.

Navy Personnel

• Iran: 18,500 (Rank 30)
• Israel: 19,500 (Rank 29)

Israel just squeaks out a win over Iran in terms of its naval personnel.

Reserve Personnel

• Iran: 350,000 (Rank 20)
• Israel: 465,000 (Rank 16)

Israel has 115,000 more reserve personnel than Iran. Reserve personnel provide support in crises, conflicts, or deployments without requiring a country to pay the cost of a large standing army.

Paramilitary Forces

• Iran: 220,000 (Rank 10)
• Israel: 35,000 (Rank 26)

Iran has 185,000 more paramilitary individuals than Israel. These forces usually operate alongside traditional military forces, but may be focused on domestic security or counterinsurgency.

Defense Budget

• Iran: USD $15.45 billion (Rank 25)
• Israel: USD $30.5 billion (Rank 17)

While Israel’s population might be smaller, its defense budget certainly is not. Israel outspends Iran in defense, nearly doubling the budget. Israel’s higher military spending as a percentage of GDP highlights its prioritization of security and advanced weaponry, while Iran spreads its resources across larger conventional forces.

Purchasing Power Parity

• Iran: USD $1.44 trillion (Rank 22)
• Israel: USD $471.03 billion (Rank 51)

Iran has much more purchasing power than Israel. Since war and conflict require significant funding, as does defense budgets, it’s clear that Iran is much more prepared for the financial aspect of war than Israel.

Total Aircraft

• Iran: 551 (Rank 20)
• Israel: 611 (Rank 16)

Israel has 60 more aircraft than Iran. Israel’s advanced air force, equipped with cutting-edge aircraft like the F-35, gives it a decisive edge over Iran’s older and less capable fleet in terms of both offensive and defensive operations.

Fighter Aircraft

• Iran: 188 (Rank 15)
• Israel: 240 (Rank 10)

Israel has 52 more fighter aircraft than Iran and ranks in the top 10 in terms of countries with the most fighter aircraft, positioning it at a strategic advantage.

Attack Aircraft

• Iran: 21 (Rank 26)
• Israel: 38 (Rank 15)

Israel has 17 more dedicated attack aircraft than Iran. Should Israel need to leverage its air power to strike at ground targets in Iran, these attack aircraft would provide the ability to do so.

Transport Aircraft

• Iran: 87 (Rank 7)
• Israel: 13 (Rank 38)

Iran has 74 more transport aircraft than Israel.

Helicopters

• Iran: 128 (Rank 32)
• Israel: 147 (Rank 29)

Israel has 19 more helicopters than Iran.

Attack Helicopters

• Iran: 13 (Rank 29)
• Israel: 48 (Rank 14)

Israel has 35 more attack helicopters than Iran. Attack helicopters are versatile; they can be used for both reconnaissance and ground attacks.

Tank Strength

• Iran: 1,713 (Rank 10)
• Israel: 1,300 (Rank 15)

Iran has 413 more tanks than Israel, a fairly decent drop from 2024, when Iran had over 600 tanks more than Israel. Israel’s more modern and better-maintained tanks provide superior battlefield capabilities compared to Iran’s larger but aging fleet.

Armored Vehicles

• Iran: 65,825 (Rank 8)
• Israel: 35,985 (Rank 15)

Iran has 29,840 more armored vehicles than Israel. Armored vehicles help Iran project force, especially across the on-ground battlefield.

Self-Propelled Artillery

• Iran: 392 (Rank 15)
• Israel: 352 (Rank 18)

Due to various conflicts, both Israel and Iran have lost a solid amount of self-propelled artillery over the last year. Iran’s advantage in artillery reflects its reliance on conventional firepower, while Israel emphasizes precision-guided weapons and air superiority to offset such imbalances.

Naval Fleet Strength

• Iran: 107 (Rank 34)
• Israel: 62 (Rank 45)

Iran has 45 more naval vessels than Israel. Iran’s larger navy is tailored for regional dominance in the Persian Gulf, but Israel’s smaller, high-tech navy focuses on securing Mediterranean waters and defending against strategic threats like blockades.

Submarines

• Iran: 25 (Rank 4)
• Israel: 5 (Rank 13)

Iran has 20 more submarines than Israel and is considered one of the top five powers in the world in terms of submarine holdings.

Frigates

• Iran: 7 (Rank 11)
• Israel: 0 (Rank 145)

Iran has seven frigates, while Israel has none. Frigates can provide limited air defense and are also used for anti-submarine missions.

Merchant Marine Fleet

• Iran: 965 (Rank 20)
• Israel: 41 (Rank 88)

Iran has 924 more merchant marine ships than Israel.

Ports and Trade Terminals

• Iran: 18 (Rank 28)
• Israel: 5 (Rank 41)

Israel has thirteen less ports and trade terminals than Iran, though both countries have more than a majority of other nations.

Oil Production

• Iran: 3.985 million barrels (Rank 9)
• Israel: 15,000 barrels (Rank 67)

Iran makes several million barrels of oil, while Israel makes significantly less. However, Israel’s oil production has increased in recent years — at one point, Israel produced NO oil!

Oil Reserves

• Iran: 208.6 billion barrels (Rank 3)
• Israel: 12.73 million barrels (Rank 73)

Iran has a lot more oil reserves than Israel. Oil reserves not only act as an economic buffer, but can be used to power Iran’s needs.

Natural Gas Reserves

• Iran: 33.98 trillion cubic meters (Rank 2)
• Israel: 176.018 billion cubic meters (Rank 41)

Iran has far more natural gas reserves than Israel.

International Support

• Iran: Turkey, Russia, China, Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas
• Israel: United States, United Kingdom, France

At this moment, the U.S. government heavily supports Israel and Netanyahu. Between October 7, 2023 — when the terror attack in Israel occurred — and October 7, 2024, the U.S. sent $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel. Despite the Trump administration’s funding freeze, aid money is continually expected to be sent to Israel. Americans’ overall support of Israel has fallen, however. The previous low for American sympathies with Israel was 51% in 2024 and 2001, but this now sits at just 46%, according to a recent Gallup poll. The United Kingdom has also shown some support to Israel. However, the situation in Palestine has soured much of the world’s views towards Israel.

After an Iranian missile attack on Israel, Russia, Turkey, and China all stepped forward to provide assistance to Tehran. These military alliances are formed, in part, by anti-Western views. Traditionally, they also all hold anti-Israel sentiments and seek to destabilize Israeli power in the region.

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