, cargo 34, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk
2, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load
carrier 6, oil tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo
10, short-sea passenger 1
note: Iran owns an additional 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
245,742 DWT that operate under the registries of Cyprus, Honduras, and
Panama (1997 est.)

Airports: 280 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways:
total: 103
over 3,047 m: 36
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 177
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 124
under 914 m: 34 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 11 (1997 est.)

@Iran:Military

Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes
Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards
(includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces), Law
Enforcement Forces

Military manpower-military age: 21 years of age

Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 16,270,295 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 9,672,021 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 671,734 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: according to official Iranian
data, Iran budgeted 8,283.9 billion rials for defense in 1997;
note-conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using current
exchange rates could produce misleading results

@Iran:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in
1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling
outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border
demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and
sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; Iran occupies two islands
in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as
Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by
Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and
Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); it jointly administers
with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (called
Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by
Iran)-over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control
since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on
the island; the UAE has garnered significant di