Mojtaba Khamenei recently claimed that military strikes by the US and Israel failed to destabilize Iran's internal security forces. This assertion coincides with the US Army's release of a tactical guide designed to identify members of the 350,000-strong Artesh military.
The US Army's 'Know the Threat' guide for the 350,000-strong Artesh
On September 24, the US Army's Training and Transformation Command published a "Know the Threat" recognition guide to assist American personnel in identifying the Artesh, Iran's conventional military. As highlighted by Defense News on October 9, the guide focuses on the Artesh's ground forces, which the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security estimated in June to consist of approximately 350,000 personnel.
The US Army guide specifically catalogs the weaponry American troops are likely to encounter during an engagement with the Artesh. These include AKM rifles, German-designed G3 rifles, Iranian-made Masaf-2 rifles, MG3 machine guns, and RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers. by distinguishing the Artesh—which handles conventional territorial defense—from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia, the US military is creating a more granular map of Iran's fragmented security architecture.
Mojtaba Khamenei's push for AI-driven surveillance within FARAJA
On October 8, Mojtaba Khamenei praised the resilience of Iran's Law Enforcement Command, known as FARAJA, following attacks launched in February under Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion. khamenei asserted that the "criminal US-Zionist enemy" had failed to waver the resolve of the police force, which is tasked with maintaining domestic order under the command of Brig. Gen. Ahmadreza Radan.
To bolster this internal security apparatus, Mojtaba Khamenei called for an increase in personnel, equipment, and the integration of artificial intelligence for data analysis. This move toward AI-enhanced policing comes as FARAJA continues to face scrutiny; according to the report, the Iran Human Rights Monitor describes the force as a tool for suppressing anti-government protests and enforcing ideological restrictions, a role that has led the US Treasury Department to target FARAJA with sanctions.
The Jerusalem Institute's report on severe air and naval degradation
The narrative of Iranian resilience is complicated by external intelligence assessments. The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security reported in June that Iran's conventional air, naval, and air defense forces suffered severe damage during the initial phases of the US-Israeli military campaign. This aligns with claims made by President Donald Trump, who asserted that the US strikes significantly degraded Iran's missile and drone capabilities and effectively destroyed its navy and air force.
This pattern of targeted degradation suggests a strategic effort by US and Israeli forces to strip Iran of its long-range projection capabilities while leaving its ground forces—the 350,000-strong Artesh—structurally intact. Because there was no ground invasion, the Artesh ground forces remained largely untouched, creating a disparity between Iran's internal stability and its external military reach.
The discrepancy in Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami's recovery claims
Despite reports of severe losses, Maj. Gen. amir Hatami, who assumed command of the Artesh in June 2025, issued a warning on October 6 claiming that Iran's adversaries are in a state of "historic confusion." Hatami suggests that the US and Israel failed to halt Iranian military production during the conflict, implying a rapid recovery of capabilities.
However , the actual extent of this military recovery remains an open question. The source report notes that while Hatami claims production continues, there is no independent verification to confirm if the Artesh has replaced the air and naval assets flagged as destroyed by the Jerusalem Institute. it remains unclear whether Tehran is truly rebuilding its arsenal or if these statements are intended to project strength amidst significant operational losses.
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