The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has blitzed across Iraq over the past couple of weeks. The Sunni extremist group threatens the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite and a close ally of Iran.
The Islamic Republic isn't taking its chances, and has already sent two units of the Revolutionary Guards into Iraq. These soldiers come from one of the largest and most capable militaries in the region.
Iran's military has 545,000 active personnel and some of the most advanced technology of anyone in their neighborhood. The United States gave them a lot of it.
Granted, it wasn't the Islamic Republic of Iran that we supplied with some of the hottest tech available at the time. Rather, it was a pre-revolutionary monarchy that was a key ally of the United States in the Middle East — and was overthrown in Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Since then, Iran has managed to develop its own military-industrial complex and upgrade its existing arsenal.
And they've gotten pretty good at it.
With Iran's military jumping into the unfurling chaos in Iraq, we looked at some of the military toys that the Iranians are playing with.
Walt Hickey contributed to this report.
The AH-1J SeaCobra
The United States sold 202 of these helicopters to Iran from 1975-1978. As of right now, only around fifty remain in service.
Iran used the helicopters with disputed success in the Iran-Iraq War between 1980 and 1988.
The AH-1W, a similar aircraft, remains a cornerstone of the U.S. Marine Corps' attack helicopter fleet.
The attack helicopter carries a crew of two, reaches a maximum speed of 219 mph, and has a service ceiling of 10,500 feet. It's 53 feet long.
Iran has also built an upgrade the Panha 2091, from AH-1J aircraft. Their efficacy is unknown.
The RIM-66 Surface to Air Missile
The RIM-66 is a naval missile system designed by the United States and exported to multiple nations.
They entered into service in 1967 and were made by Raytheon. This guided missile system can travel at three-and-a-half times the speed of sound and has an operational range of up to 90 nautical miles.
The Iran Navy has these installed on a number of missile boats and frigates.
The S-300 missile system
This one is unconfirmed, but Iran claims that they have them.
And if they do have the S-300, that's a pretty big deal. Iran has also developed the Bavar 373 system, which it claims has the same capabilities as the S-300.
NATO called the S-300 the S-10 Gladiator. The Soviets developed in the 1970s, and it's been continually upgraded until production ceased in 2011.
It's one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems in the field today.
There are even variations that have been designed to intercept ballistic missiles. The radar system can track 100 targets at once, and can simultaneously engage 12 of them.
The 23-foot missiles weigh two tons and have a range of between 56 and 93 miles. They travel at six times the speed of sound. The missile system has never been used in combat as yet, but NATO has trained for that eventuality.
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