Iran has launched a submarine production line to ensure its forces are equipped to maintain security of the vital oil shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz waterway, the defence minister said.

Iran's ISNA news agency said it was for a "semi-heavy" class of submarine called Qaim but did not give details.

Following are some details about Iran's military capability. The totals include equipment held by the Revolutionary Guards, which operate on land, at sea and in the air:

* ARMED FORCES:  Iran has 545,000 personnel in active service in all branches of its military. Major General Ataollah Salehi is the armed forces chief.

* ARMY:  The army comprises 350,000 men, including 220,000 conscripts. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, viewed as the most loyal guardian of the ruling system, has another 125,000 men. In 2004 the army was organised in four corps, with four armoured divisions and six infantry divisions.

-- There are nearly 1,700 tanks, including some 100 Zulfiqar locally produced main battle tanks. A large number of Iran's tanks are older British-made Chieftains and US-made M-60s.

-- Soviet-made T-54 and T-55s, T-59s, T-62s, and T-72s were also part of the inventory, all captured from the Iraqis or acquired from North Korea and China.

 -- The latest Military Balance report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies says some of the tanks' serviceability may be in doubt.

-- There are around 640 armoured personnel carriers; 8,196 artillery pieces of which 2,010 are towed and more than 310 are self-propelled.

-- In a 2007 parade to mark the anniversary of 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Iran showed its Shahab-3 missile, saying it could travel 2,000 km (1,250 miles) -- enabling it to hit Israel and US bases in the region. Another missile at the parade, the Ghadr-1, can reach targets 1,800 km (1,125 miles) away. It was believed to be the first time it has been shown publicly. Some of Iran's missiles are under the control of the Revolutionary Guards, which operates its own army, navy and air force branches.

* NAVY: There are 18,000 naval personnel. The navy has its headquarters at Bandar-e Abbas. Iran's navy has three Russian Kilo class submarines, three frigates and two corvettes.

-- As of 2001 the regular Iranian navy was in a state of overall obsolescence, and in poor shape because it had not been equipped with modern ships and weapons. The readiness of the three frigates is doubtful, and the two nearly 40-year-old corvettes do not have sophisticated weapons.

-- In late 2007 Iran launched a new locally made submarine and a navy frigate. The latest Military Balance also says Iran has three Kilo class patrol submarines with anti-submarine warfare capability and each with six single 533 mm torpedo tubes. It also has three Qadir coastal diesel submarines. Jane's Defence Weekly reported last November Iran was also building missile-launching frigates copied from 275-tonne Kaman fast attack missile craft purchased from France in the late 1970s.

* AIR FORCE:  The air force has 52,000 personnel and 281 combat aircraft. However, serviceability may be as low as around 60 percent for US aircraft types and 80 percent for Russian aircraft. There are F-14 and MiG 29 aircraft. There are also some aircraft impounded from Iraq -- Russian-built Sukhoi Su-24s and 25s. Iran also has transport aircraft and helicopters.

-- In September 2007, Iran said it had tested two new domestically produced jet fighters. State television said the Saegheh was a new generation of the Azarakhsh (Lightning) fighter. Iran said it was being built on an industrial scale. - Reuters