Armed Forces Headquarters Opposes Selling Military Service to Those Absent for Over Five Years

An official from the Iranian Armed Forces Headquarters announced opposition to the government's bill to the parliament regarding the sale of military service to conscripts who have been absent for more than five years, stating that the Headquarters' 'definitive proposal' is an exemption with a fine for conscripts with over nine years of absence. The government of Hassan Rouhani proposed in the 2016 budget bill that conscripts with more than five years of absence could be exempted from military service by paying a fine. In 2015, this option was available for conscripts with over eight years of absence. According to ISNA news agency and based on the law of the 2016 budget bill, if approved by the parliament, conscripts with over five years of absence would be exempt based on their education level and by paying a fine ranging from 10 to 50 million tomans. However, this government bill has faced opposition from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran. Moussa Kamali, deputy head of the Human Resources Department of the General Staff, stated in an interview with ISNA on Tuesday, January 28, that 'in meetings we had with the government, we raised two conditions; one was that the amount of fines should increase, and the other was that the basis for absence should not only not decrease but also increase to nine years or more.' Mr. Kamali further stated that 'one of our conditions, which was the increase in fines, has been met,' adding, 'The government has decided in this bill that conscripts pay a cash fine for five years of absence from military service, meaning that the figures have increased by at least 40 percent, but unfortunately, the second condition of ours has not been met, and we oppose the condition of having five years of absence.' This Armed Forces official also emphasized legal follow-ups through the parliament to prevent the approval of this bill, stating, 'This issue contradicts the agreements made, and even if approved, it will not be implemented.' According to ISNA's report, the base fine for conscripts with over five years of absence will be 10 million tomans for those with less than a diploma, 15 million for diploma holders, 20 million for associate degree holders, 25 million for bachelor's degree holders, 30 million for master's degree holders, 35 million for non-medical doctoral degree holders, 40 million for medical doctors, and 50 million for specialist doctors and above. Additionally, according to Note 11 of the budget bill, for each additional year of absence beyond five years, 10 percent will be added to the base fine, and any absence exceeding six months will be counted as one year. Moreover, for married conscripts, five percent will be deducted from the total fine, and for conscripts with children, five percent will be deducted for each child. Previously, while some members of the Iranian parliament announced that the number of individuals subject to the military service purchase law was about two million, a police official reported in April this year that 280,000 people had registered to purchase military service. According to Ebrahim Karimi, deputy head of the police duty organization, Tehran province had the most applicants while South Khorasan province had the least. The registration of 280,000 people for purchasing military service occurred while Abbasali Mansouri, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian parliament, had previously stated that the number of conscripts absent from military service for over 10 years was more than 'two million and 400 thousand.' Mr. Mansouri stated on December 25, 2014, that '300,000' educated Iranians abroad cannot return to Iran due to military service absences. The military service purchase plan had previously been implemented in Iran in 1998 but was ultimately halted in 2000 following opposition from the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Currently, 108 countries around the world have removed compulsory military service from their programs, and 12 countries, including the United States, have optional military service periods. Additionally, in eight countries, the possibility of fulfilling the designated military service period through civil activities is considered, and 12 countries, including Israel, use a combination of compulsory and volunteer forces to meet their military needs.