Final Statistics of Military Service Purchase Applicants; 280,000 Registered

While some members of the Iranian parliament had announced that the number of individuals subject to the military service purchase law was around two million, according to a police official, 280,000 people have registered to purchase military service. Ibrahim Karimi, deputy head of the police duty organization, reported on Friday, April 7, that 280,000 individuals had registered for military service purchase and stated that the registration period has ended. According to Mr. Karimi, Tehran province had the highest number of applicants, while South Khorasan province had the lowest. Based on the 2015 budget law approved by the parliament at the government's proposal, individuals who have been absent for more than eight years can pay a fine to purchase military service and be exempted from it. The fines are set at 10 million tomans for those without a diploma, 15 million tomans for diploma holders, 20 million tomans for associate degree holders, 25 million tomans for bachelor's degree holders, 30 million tomans for master's degree holders, 35 million tomans for non-medical doctorate holders, 40 million tomans for medical doctors, and 50 million tomans for specialist doctors and above. By paying these fines, these individuals are exempted from military service. The registration of 280,000 people for military service purchase comes while Abbasali Mansouri, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian parliament, had previously announced that the number of military service absentees with over 10 years of absence was more than 'two million and 400 thousand.' Mr. Mansouri also stated that '300,000' educated Iranians abroad cannot return to Iran due to military service absence. This statement was made while another parliament member, Abuzar Nadimi, had announced the number of military service absentees with over 10 years of absence to be between one and a half to two million. Mousa Kamali, deputy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, also stated on December 22, 2014, that 'we have one million and 500 thousand young people born after 1976 whose military service status has not yet been clarified.' The military service purchase plan was previously implemented in Iran in 1998 but was ultimately halted in 2000 following opposition from the General Staff of the Armed Forces.