Iran

Islamic Republic of Iran

The present Islamic Republic of Iran (جمهوری اسلامی ایران) can trace its heritage back to the Elamite Kingdom of 2800 BC, and the subsequent Achaemenid, Hellenic Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanid Empires. A constitutional monarchy was established in 1906, but toppled during the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces (نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران) consist of three distinctive services: the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران) or Artesh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی) or Sepah, and the Law Enforcement Command (فرماندهی انتظامی جمهوری اسلامی ایران) or Faraja. The Army consists of several branches, including the Ground Forces (NEZAJA), Air Defense Forces (NEPAJA), Air Force (NAHAJA), and the Navy (NEDAJA); within the Navy you also have the Iranian Marines and Navy Special Forces.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) includes branches equivalent to those of the conventional forces (Ground Forces and Navy), as well as the Aerospace Forces, the Quds Force (special operations/military intelligence) and the Basij paramilitary volunteer force. The stated purpose of the IRGC is to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of the country, but its unstated purpose is to provide a loyal military force large and powerful enough to thwart efforts by the conventional forces to topple the Islamic regime (i.e. to prevent coups d'etat).

Law Enforcement in Iran falls under the jurisdiction of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Faraja), also called the Discipliary Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, abbreviated NAJA (نیروی انتظامی جمهوری اسلامی ایران). In addition to domestic law enforcement, NAJA also has special operations and emergency services elements. The Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری) of NAJA is an umbrella department with multiple branches responsible for the security of all police stations and government facilities, security of railways, airport security, and judicial security, as well as protection for radio and television stations, cultural heritage and tourism sites, atomic energy sites, and the country's natural resources, and special protection services.

The government of Iran has been a frequent supporter of revolutionary insurgent movements around the world, most notably Hezbollah (حزب الله or "party of God), which has been historically active in both Lebanon and Israel (Palestine).

Iranian Camouflage Patterns

• During the late period of the Imperial (Pahlavi) State, a signficant amount of military aid was received from both the United States and the Great Britain. The formation of the Imperial Iranian Marines resulted from an initial agreement with the British government to train a cadre of Iranians, who attended the Royal Marines Training Centre for a full commando course. This relationship continued for some years, and resulted in the adoption of British DPM camouflage uniforms by the early Imperial Iranian Marines for many years.

• One of Iran's oldest camouflage designs is a brushstroke pattern that can be traced to the Pahlavi Shah period, where it was worn by the Army commandos and Navy special operations units. Some sources have also suggested it was worn by the Imperial Guard. A vertical brushstroke or stripe pattern featuring dark green and brown on a pale green or khaki background, several variations continued in use with this nation for the next twenty years.

• An early copy of the British DPM pattern was worn during the Shah period (and thereafter) by elements of the Army 23rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade (later Division) as well as Navy special boat units.

• The rare and unique puzzle spot type pattern seen below was worn by the IRGC and Basij units during the Iran-Iraq war.

• A very similar pattern, having unconnected blotches of similiar colors, was worn by Army Commando forces during the Iran-Iraq war, and possibly even before 1979.

• Once an ally of the United States, Iran produced several copies of the US m1942 spot pattern camouflage beginning in the Imperial Period (1970s). Iranian spot pattern is nicknamed "panther" camouflage. The first use seems to have been by Imperial Navy commandos, but they continue to be worn into the present period, with a wide variety of colorways having been produced. The most commonly encountered of these are the tan or desert versions, frequently worn by takavar special operations personnel such as commandos, but also by regular Army units. Panther camouflage was heavily used by Basij volunteer forces during the Iran-Iraq War

• A variation of this pattern substitutes green for the more common khaki-brown. The version at the left is the earliest documented variation and was used by the Army since before 1979. Later variations can be dated to the Iran-Iraq War, and were worn by both Army and Basij units of the IRGC. Some more recent versions have been worn within the past 20 years as well.

• Several other variations are seen here, having distinctive colorways and worn primarily by Basij units of the IRGC, but also by some Army units during the Iran-Iraq War.

• Also pre-dating the Iran-Iraq War, several vertical brushstroke camouflage designs have also been employed by Iranian forces. The earliest examples appeared in the 1970s among the Navy Commandos (SBS), with Basij volunteer units and other units of the IRGC adopting similar patterns some time after 1979. The standard version, of which many variations are documented, incorporates black, reddish brown and olive green brush strokes on a khaki or tan background. However, there appear to be many variations. The influence appears to be originally French, via Israel.

• Another pattern with a number of variations is a sort of brushstroke design, but without clearly defined vertical pathways. Generally employing four colors: black, green, red, and a tan or khaki background, the patterns are associated with the Basij volunteer units and other members of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War. These designs are known colloquially as atishi (fire) and also Shahid Hemmati pattern (after martyred commander Hemmat who died during the war).

• Similar to the above pattern, but incorporating irregularly-shaped "islands" or blotches, is another pattern of the Basij volunteer units and frontier forces of teh IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War. They were worn primarily in the Southwest fronts, but there is some evidence to suggest they were also employed along the Western front against Kurdish dissidents. The color theme, black, green and red on tan or khaki, remains the same.

• A variation of the four-color desert DPM camouflage pattern first developed in the United Kingdom was also worn by some Basij volunteer units in the 1990s.

• Another DPM camouflage pattern, having black, forest green and ochre disrupstive shapes on a sandy background, is worn specifically by the NOHED or Niroe Vije Hava Bord (Special Air Service) Brigade 65, also known as the Iranian Rangers (Special Forces). The pattern came into use in the 1990s.

• The Marines of the Iranian Navy have their own distinctive camouflage design, a derivative of DPM but having "chip" type dots similar those found in the US six-color desert pattern. Several color variations have been documented.

• Two interesting leaf or ERDL pattern variations have been worn by the Basij or special operations units of the IRGC, dating to the late 1990s.

• The arid leaf design seen below is seldom-seen, but has been documented in use by some installation and prison guards.

• Several Iranian copies of the US m81 woodland camouflage pattern and variants have been in use since the 1980s. These vary not only in the particular shades of dye employed, but occasionally in the alignment of the screens during the printing process. Both the Army and IRGC have worn woodland camouflage uniforms. In the 1990s and early 2000s, this was the standard camouflage pattern of the Army, but this has gradually now been replaced by a DPM variant in desert colors. Use of woodland camouflage has continued, however, with some special protection units of the NAJA (Law Enforcement Command) such as the Natural Resources Protection Unit.

• The Iranian Air Force have worn a distinctive color variation of the woodland camouflage pattern, having black, blue & grey woodland shapes on a pale blue background.

• Units of the Air Defence Forces (Padafand-e Hava-e) wear a leaf style pattern having black, reddish-brown, periwinkle blue, and olive green leaf shapes on a tan background.

• Yet another woodland variation was worn at one time by the Emergency Brigade (Yegane Emdad) of the Iranian Police (Niroe Entezami), and also by some Border Guard units. This arid pattern has dark brown, dark green & olive green woodland shapes on a pale orange background. The pattern seems to be aligned vertically, differing from the woodland drawings from which it appears to be derived. Whether this is intentional or not cannot be determined.

• Copies of the US six-color "chocolate chip" desert pattern camouflage have been worn by the IRGC Sepah Commandos, among others.

• A variation of the six-color "chocolate chip" camouflage design is also found on NBC protective suits issued to all branches of the armed forces.

• Iranian Military Police and Base Guard units wear a pattern derivative of the US-developed "chocolate chip" but using different screens. The design features blotches of dark brown, light brown and lime green, with "chips" of white & black on a tan base.

• Presently, units of the Iranian Army wear a desert or arid DPM camouflage pattern, having dark brown, light olive green & sandy-orange disruptive shapes on a sandy background. The pattern was originally issued to members of the Special Operations Brigade 23.

• A very unique "water spots" camouflage pattern is worn by the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Guards, a department within the Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری) of NAJA. The design consists of black & white dots within circles over underprinted shapes in two colors of grey.

• A variation of the above "water spots" design with a green-dominant color palette is also worn by the Special Protection Police, a separate branch of service within the Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری) of NAJA. This unit provides special protection services to government organizations.

• In the present era, Iranian Police Border Guards and special operations units of the IRGC have worn a copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern. The pattern is called Marz Bani (border guard) by some.

• Another unit falling under the jurisdiction of the Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری) of NAJA is the Aquatic Resources Protection Unit. Personnel of this unit wear a striped camouflage design incorporating blue-grey and pale green shapes on a light grey background.

• Another protection unit under the command of the Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری), the Road Protection and Urban Development Unit, wears this grey-dominant camouflage design seen here, having small spots or squiggles in black and dark grey, over larger patches of medium and light grey. It is interesting to note that the alignment of the pattern on uniforms can be either horizontal or vertical, depending on who makes them.

• The two-color pattern seen here is worn by the Agricultural Land Protection Unit, which also falls under the jurisdiction of the Faraja Prevention Police (پلیس پیشگیری). This design has brushstroke-like black shapes on a pale grey background.

• Circa 2009, Iran introduced its first pixelated camouflage design, a desert pattern of three shades of brown on a tan background having many similarities to the USMC MARPAT desert pattern.

• Another American camouflage pattern adopted in the modern era is worn by the Iranian Marine Commandos and the IRGC Sepah Navy Special Force (یگان ویژه ندسا‎ - or Special Unit of NEDSA). This is a faithful copy of the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) developed for the US Army, although some versions have a slightly more greenish tint.

• Another recent pixelated camouflage design, adopted in 2010-2011, is issued to the Air Defense Forces.

• Marines of the Iranian Navy have recently adopted their own pixelated variation of their old DPM-influenced design. It should be noted that some variations exist, including slightly modified color palettes and even slightly larger pixels within the design.

• Another unit to have adopted a pixelated camouflage design is NOHED or Niroe Vije Hava Bord (Special Air Service) Brigade 65. The pattern is essentially a digitized version of their old DPM pattern.

• The arid-desert pattern seen below was introduced in 2010-11 and is now being worn by elite members of the IRGC. The design incorporates traditional DPM shapes, but without any stippling.

• As of 2013, the Basij forces of the IRGC also have their own pixelated camouflage design. The pattern incorporates black, ochre and green shapes on a khaki background. At least two versions are known to exist, one having a more dense concentration of darker colors on the lighter background. Despite these differences, the colors employed in the design appear to be relatively consistent.

• Introduced circa 2014-2016, loose copies of the US Marine Corps' MARPAT camouflage design have been in circulation with some units of the IRGC as well as special police units under the Special Police Command of NAJA (فرماندهی یگان‌های ویژه ناجا) or YEGUP. Variations of the design have been documented, including some with more brown and some more green dominance.

• The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force adopted a pixelated camouflage design in 2015, incorporating black, mid-blue and light blue shapes on a very pale blue background. This design will likely replace the earlier one with organic, woodland-type shapes.

• Personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (NEDAJA) adopted a copy of the US Navy's NWU-1 pixelated design circa 2016. Its use appears to have been very short-lived, and may only have been experimental.

• In use since at least 2019, a copy of Multicam is being worn by the IRGC Special Unit of NEDSA.

• Photographs of very high-ranking Iranian Navy (NEDAJA) officers circulating in 2021 show use of the US Air Force's ABU (Airman Battle Uniform) camouflage pattern. There is no evidence to suggest the pattern is being used by lower-ranking officers or enlisted Navy personnel, and indeed this may have been a very limited production run.

• Since at least 2015, the green-dominant pixelated camouflage pattern seen here has been worn by elements of the IRGC Air and Space Force (نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی), mostly by the security forces assigned to missile bases. The pattern includes traces of black, along with brown and pale green shapes on a forest green background.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Amin Allah Shakeri for his generous assistance in helping create this page.