Language: Persian
Currency: Rial (IRR)
Calling Code: 98
Iran, whose official name is the Islamic Republic
of Iran (in Persian, جمهوری اسلامی ایران), is a State of the Middle
East and Western Asia. From the 1st millennium B.C. until 1935 was
known in the West as Persia, although today this name is still valid
and accepted along with that of Iran. It borders Pakistan and
Afghanistan in the east; Turkmenistan by the northeast; the Caspian
Sea to the north; Azerbaijan and Armenia by the northwest; Turkey
and Iraq to the west and, finally, to the coast of the Persian Gulf
and the Gulf of Oman to the south.
It is the eighteenth largest country in the world with 1 648 195
km², Iran has a population of almost 80 million people of various
ethnicities. It is a country with significant importance in
geopolitics to be between the Middle East, Central Asia and South
Asia. Tehran is the capital, as well as being the political,
industrial, commercial and cultural center of the country. Iran is a
regional power to which its large reserves of hydrocarbons (fourth
oil reserves and first gas reserves worldwide) confer a situation of
potential power superpower and have been reporting for decades a
substantial oil income.
The ethnic diversity of the people of Iran, such as Persian,
Kurdish, Turkish, lor, Arabic, Turkmen and Balochi, among others,
are part of the Iranian culture and have provided a special
attraction to this vast territory.
Iran, next to Iraq, is the home of the oldest civilizations. The
first known dynasties in western Iran are those of Elam, from 2800
BC. The Medes formed the first empire that encompassed the "Great
Iran" in 625 BC. These were succeeded by the Achaemenid Empire,
hellenized by the Seleucids after the conquest by Alexander the
Great and then recentrated in autochthonous references by the
successive empires of the Arsacid and Sassanid births. Muslims
conquer it in 651 AD with the result of the diffusion of the
Persian language throughout the Iranian Plateau and of different
aspects of the Iranian culture throughout the Islamic world.
In 1501 the emergence of the Safavi dynasty produced the replacement
of Sunni Islam, until then majority, by Twelver Shiism as the
official religion of the kingdom, as well as intense persecution of
most Sufi brotherhoods developed after the Mongol invasion of the
twelfth century. Under the government of Nader Shah, begun in 1736,
Iran reached its greatest territorial extension since the Sassanid
era. During the nineteenth century, Iran lost large amounts of
territory in the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) to the Russian Empire
in the Caucasus.At the beginning of the twentieth century, the
Constitutional Revolution of 1906 established the first legislative
assembly in the country (and of the Asian continent), submitting the
monarchical power to a constitution. In 1953, Prime Minister
Mosaddeq - who had nationalized oil two years earlier - was
overthrown by a coup d'état, orchestrated by the United Kingdom and
the United States, which allowed Sha Reza Pahlevi to have greater
power over the national government. The monarchy came to an end in
1979, through a popular revolution that led to an Islamic
revolution, ending up being led by Shiites, led by Khomeini, which
led to the establishment of an Islamic republic on April 1, 1979.
2015 the Joint and Complete Action Plan was signed with the P5 + 1
on Iran's nuclear program.
Iran is a founding member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned
Movement, Organization for Islamic Cooperation and OPEC. The
political system of Iran is based on the Constitution of the Islamic
Republic of 1979, which regulates the relations between the
different organs of government. The highest state authority is the
Supreme Leader of Iran, although the day-to-day management of the
administration is the responsibility of the president. The official
religion and language of the country are, respectively, the Twelver
Islam and the Persian.
Arg-é Bam is a medieval adobe fortress in the Kerman province of Iran.
Chogha Zanbil is a site of a massive ancient Elamite religious buildings.
Persepolis is an Ancient capital of the Persian Empire destroyed by Alexander the Great as a revenge for burning Athens.
The modern name of Iran is "Irɒn" (pers. ايراﻥ) through pahl. Erān
goes back to Avesta. Airyāna, which is formed from the self-name of the
ancient Indo-Iranians - "arya" and is either the adjective "Aryan
country" or the genitive "Country of the Aryans" in an expression like
Avesta. airyanam dahyunam - "country of the Aryans".
In the era
of the Achaemenids (550-327 BC), the ancient Iranian concept of "Aryānam
Dahyunam" was transformed into other Persian. "Aryānam Xšaθram" - "The
State of the Aryans", which later gave the name to the state of the
Arshakids (250 BC - 224 AD) - Aryānšaθr / Aryānšahr. As Richard Fry
notes, “With the expansion of the Parthians, the term Aria, or Ariane of
Greek sources, seems to have spread so widely that it eventually turned
into “Great Aria”, a term equivalent to the name of the “kingdom of the
Aryans” - Eranshahr (Eranshahr), as the Sassanids called their vast
homeland. Strabo under Ariana (Άριανή) meant the eastern provinces of
the Persian kingdom: Gedrosia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Paropamiz, Aria
(that is, Areia, ancient Persian Haraiva, now Herat), Parthia and
Carmania.
The name of the state of the Sassanids (224-651) is
pehl. Erānšahr comes from Avesta. "Airyānam Xšaθram", meaning "Kingdom
of the Aryans". The Avestan diphthong "ai" was transformed into the
Middle Persian "e". The official title of the Sassanids was: "king of
the kings of Eran and Aneran".
The self-name of the Iranians is
Irani. Despite the fact that the Iranians have called their country Iran
since ancient times, in the rest of the world the ancient Greek name
"Persia" remained generally accepted until 1935, when Shah Reza demanded
that other powers also call his country Iran.
The history of statehood in Iran is one of the
oldest in the world and only according to written sources covers
almost 5 thousand years. The first state on its territory - Elam -
emerged in Khuzestan in the III millennium BC. The Persian Empire
under Darius I of Achaemenides already stretched from Greece and
Cyrenaica to the Indus and Tarim rivers. Iran, known as Persia for
its long history of writing, has been one of the most influential
political, cultural and world centers for more than 2 thousand
years. For many centuries, Zoroastrianism has been the dominant
religion. By the 16th century, Islam became the state religion of
Iran.
The Persian Empire under Darius I stretched from Greece
and Libya to the Indus River. Persia was the most populated state in
history (50% of the world's population were subjects of the
Achaemenids), was one of the strongest and most influential
culturally and politically states up to the 17th and 18th centuries,
but by the end of the 19th century Persia turned into a
semi-colonial state. In 1935, Persia changed the name of the country
(in Zoroastrianism, the north of Iran and the south of Afghanistan
were called Ariana) to Iran.
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution
took place in Iran under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini,
during which the monarchy was overthrown and an Islamic republic was
proclaimed.
Ancient Iran
The settlement of the territory
of Iran belongs to ancient times. Iranian peoples become predominant
in its territory by the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. Some of
the tribes (Persians, Medes, Bactrians, Parthians) settled in the
western part of the plateau; Balochi settled in the east and along
the coast of the Gulf of Oman.
The first significant Iranian
state was the Medes kingdom, founded in the late VIII - early VII
century BC, with the capital at Hamadan (Ecbatana). The Medes
quickly established control over all of western Iran and partly over
eastern. Together with the Babylonians, the Medes defeated the
Assyrian Empire, captured northern Mesopotamia and Urartu.
Achaemenids
In 553 BC the young Persian king of Anshan and Parsa
Cyrus from the Achaemenid clan opposed the Medes. Cyrus captured
Ecbatana and declared himself king of Persia and Media. At the same
time, the Median king Ishtuwegu was captured, but later released and
appointed governor in one of the provinces. Until his death in 529
BC. Cyrus II the Great subjugated the Achaemenid empire all over
Western Asia from the Mediterranean and Anatolia to the Syr Darya.
Earlier, in 546 BC, Cyrus founded in Fars the capital of his kingdom
- Pasargadae, where he was buried. Cyrus's son Cambyses II expanded
his father's empire to Egypt and Ethiopia.
After the death of
Cambyses and the ensuing internecine strife in his inner circle and
rebellions throughout the country, Darius Hystaspes came to power.
Darius quickly and harshly brought order to the empire and began new
campaigns of conquest, as a result of which the Achaemenid empire
expanded to the Balkan Peninsula in the west and to the Indus in the
east, becoming the largest and most powerful state that ever existed
at that time. Darius also undertook a series of internal reforms. He
divided the country into several administrative units - satrapies,
while for the first time in history the principle of separation of
powers was implemented: the troops did not obey the satraps and at
the same time, the military leaders did not have administrative
power. In addition, Darius carried out a monetary reform and
introduced the golden gift into circulation. This, combined with the
construction of a network of paved roads, has contributed to an
unprecedented leap in trade relations.
Darius patronized
Zoroastrianism and considered the priests to be the core of the
Persian statehood. Under him, this first monotheistic religion
became a state religion in the empire. At the same time, the
Persians were tolerant of the conquered peoples and their beliefs
and culture.
The heirs of Darius I began to violate the
principles of internal structure introduced by the king, as a result
of which the satrapies became more independent. A mutiny broke out
in Egypt, riots broke out in Greece and Macedonia. Under these
conditions, the Macedonian commander Alexander began a military
campaign against the Persians, and by 330 BC defeated the Achaemenid
empire.
Parthia and the Sassanids
After the death of
Alexander the Great in 323 BC his empire split into several separate
states. Most of the territory of modern Iran went to Seleucia, but
the Parthian king Mithridates I soon began campaigns of conquest
against the Seleucids and included Persia, as well as Mesopotamia,
in his state. In 92 BC between Parthia and Rome, a border was drawn
along the Euphrates, but the Romans almost immediately invaded the
western Parthian satrapies and were defeated. In a retaliatory
campaign, the Parthians captured the entire Levant and Anatolia, but
were driven back by the troops of Mark Antony to the Euphrates. Soon
after, civil wars broke out in Parthia one after another, caused by
the intervention of Rome in the struggle between the Parthian and
Greek nobility.
In 224, Ardashir Papakan, the son of the ruler of the small town of
Kheir in Pars, defeated the army of the Parthians of Artaban IV and
founded the second Persian Empire - Iranshahr ("Kingdom of the
Aryans") - with its capital in Firuzabad, becoming the founder of a
new dynasty - the Sassanids. The influence of the aristocracy and
the Zoroastrian clergy increased, and persecutions against the
Gentiles began. An administrative reform has been carried out. The
Sassanids continued to fight the Romans and the nomads of Central
Asia.
Under Tsar Khosrov I (531-579), active expansion began:
in 540 Antioch was captured, in 562 - Egypt. The Byzantine Empire
fell into tax dependence on the Persians. The coastal areas of the
Arabian Peninsula, including Yemen, were occupied. At the same time,
Khosrov defeated the Hephthalite state on the territory of modern
Tajikistan. Khosrov's military successes led to a flourishing of
trade and culture in Iran.
The grandson of Khosrov I, Khosrov
II (590-628) renewed the war with Byzantium, but suffered defeat
after defeat. War expenses were covered by exorbitant taxes from
merchants and extortions from the poor. As a result, uprisings broke
out throughout the country, Khosrov was captured and executed. His
grandson, Yazdigird III (632-651), became the last Sassanian king.
Despite the end of the war with Byzantium, the collapse of the
empire continued. In the south, the Persians faced a new enemy - the
Arabs.
Arab conquest
Arab raids on Sassanian Iran began in
632. The Persian army suffered its most crushing defeat at the
Battle of Qadisiyah in 637. The Arab conquest of Persia lasted until
652, and it was incorporated into the Umayyad Caliphate. The Arabs
spread Islam in Iran, which greatly changed the Persian culture.
After the Islamization of Iran, literature, philosophy, art, and
medicine developed rapidly in the Caliphate. Persian culture became
the basis for the beginning of the golden age of Islam.
In
750, the Persian general Abu Muslim led the Abbasid campaign against
the Umayyads to Damascus, and then to the capital of the Caliphate -
Baghdad. In gratitude, the new caliph granted the Persian governors
a certain autonomy, and also took several Persians as viziers.
Nevertheless, in 822, Tahir bin Hussein bin Musab, the governor of
Khorasan, proclaimed the independence of the province and declared
himself the founder of a new Persian dynasty - the Takhirids. By the
beginning of the Samanid rule, Iran had practically restored its
independence from the Arabs.
Turkic and Mongol conquests
Despite the adoption of Islam by Persian society, Arabization in
Iran was not successful. The planting of Arab culture met with
resistance from the Persians and became the impetus for the struggle
for independence from the Arabs. The revival of the Persian language
and literature, which peaked in the 9th-10th centuries, played an
important role in restoring the national identity of the Persians.
In this regard, Ferdowsi's epic “Shahnameh”, written entirely in
Farsi, gained fame.
In 962, the Turkic commander Alp-Tegin
opposed the Samanids and founded the Turkic state of the Gaznevids
with the capital in Ghazni (Afghanistan). Under the Ghaznavids, the
cultural flourishing of Persia continued. Their followers, the
Seljuks, moved the capital to Isfahan.
In 1220, the
north-east of Iran, which was part of the Turkic Khorezm kingdom,
was attacked by the troops of Genghis Khan. The entire Khorasan, as
well as the territories of the eastern provinces of modern Iran,
were subjected to devastation. About half of the population was
killed by the Mongols. The conquest of Iran was completed by the
grandson of Genghis Khan Hulagu. In the state he founded, his
descendants, the Ilkhans, ruled until the middle of the XIV century.
The great Turkic ruler and commander Emir Timur is more popular
in the west as Tamerlane established his control over Iran.
Tamerlane brought thousands of skilled craftsmen from Iran to his
capital Samarkand, who built masterpieces of world architecture in
Samarkand. For example, Tabriz craftsmen built the Gur Emir
mausoleum in Samarkand. During the reign of the youngest son of
Timur Shahrukh, science and culture flourished in Iran. It continued
during the reign of Timurid Sultan Hussein Baykara.
The
centralization of the Iranian state resumed with the coming to power
of the Qizilbash dynasty of the Safavids, who put an end to the rule
of the descendants of the Mongol conquerors.
Dynasties
(1501-1979)
Shiite Islam was
adopted in Iran as the state religion under Shah Ismail I of the
Safavid dynasty. After the victory over Alvand Khan, the ruler of
the Turkic state of Ak-Koyunlu, near Sharur (in Nakhichevan), Ismail
victoriously entered Tabriz, where in July 1501 he proclaimed
himself the shah of Azerbaijan. Ismail soon subjugated the whole of
Iran - and in May 1502 he crowned himself Shahinshah of Iran. The
city of Tabriz became the capital of the Safavid state; later the
capital was moved to Qazvin, and from there to Isfahan. The Safavid
empire reached its highest peak under Abbas I, defeating the Ottoman
Empire and annexing the territories of modern Iraq, Afghanistan,
part of Pakistan, the territory of Azerbaijan, parts of Armenia and
Georgia, as well as the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran on the
shores of the Caspian Sea. Thus, the possessions of Iran stretched
from the Tigris to the Indus.
The conquered territories
brought wealth and prosperity to Iran. The flourishing of culture
began. Iran became a centralized state, the modernization of the
armed forces was carried out. However, after the death of Abbas the
Great, the empire fell into decay. Mismanagement led to the loss of
Kandahar and Baghdad. In 1722, the Ghilzai Afghans raided Iran,
taking Isfahan on the move, and elevated Mahmud Khan to the throne.
Then Nadir Shah, the commander of the last ruler of the Safavids,
Takhmasp II, killed him along with his son and established the rule
of the Afsharids in Iran.
First of all, Nadir Shah changed
the state religion to Sunni, and then defeated Afghanistan and
returned Kandahar to Persia. Retreating Afghan troops fled to India.
Nadir Shah called on the Indian Mogul, Mohammed Shah, not to accept
them, but he did not agree, then the Shah invaded India. In 1739,
the troops of Nadir Shah entered Delhi, but soon an uprising broke
out there. The Persians staged a real massacre in the city, and then
returned to Iran, completely plundering the country. In 1740, Nadir
Shah made a campaign to Turkestan, as a result of which the borders
of Iran advanced to the Amu Darya. In the Caucasus, the Persians
reached Dagestan. In 1747, Nadir Shah was killed.
In 1750,
power passed to the Zend dynasty, headed by Karim Khan. Karim Khan
became the first Persian in 700 years to become the head of state.
He moved the capital to Shiraz. The period of his reign is
characterized by almost no wars and cultural flourishing. Zend's
rule lasted only three generations, and in 1781 passed to the Qajar
dynasty. The founder of the dynasty, eunuch Aga-Mohammed Khan,
perpetrated reprisals against the Zend and the descendants of the
Afsharid. Having strengthened the power of the Qajars in Iran,
Mohammed Khan made a campaign against Georgia, defeating Tbilisi and
destroying more than 20 thousand residents of the city. The second
campaign against Georgia in 1797 did not take place, since the shah
was killed by his own servants (a Georgian and a Kurd) in Karabakh.
Shortly before his death, Mohammed Khan moved the capital of Iran to
Tehran.
As a result of a series of unsuccessful wars with the
Russian Empire, Persia under the Qajars lost the territory now
occupied by Azerbaijan and Armenia. Corruption flourished, control
over the outskirts of the country was lost. After lengthy protests
in 1906, a Constitutional Revolution took place in the country, as a
result of which Iran became a constitutional monarchy. In the summer
of 1918, British troops occupy all of Iran. On August 9, 1919, the
Anglo-Iranian agreement was signed, establishing full British
control over the country's economy and army. In 1920, the Gilan
Soviet Republic was proclaimed in the Ostan of Gilan, which will
exist until September 1921. On February 21, 1921, Reza Khan Pahlavi
overthrew Ahmed Shah and in 1925 was declared the new Shah. On
February 26, 1921, the RSFSR signed a new treaty with Iran,
recognizing the full independence of Iran.
Pahlavi introduced
the term "shahinshah" ("king of kings") into circulation. Starting
from the Persian New Year, that is, from March 22, 1935, the name of
the state was officially changed from Persia to Iran. Large-scale
industrialization of Iran began, the infrastructure was completely
modernized. During the Second World War, the shahinshah refused
Britain and the Soviet Union their request to deploy their troops in
Iran. Then the allies invaded Iran, overthrew the Shah and took
control of the railways and oil fields. In 1942, Iran's sovereignty
was restored, power passed to the Shah's son, Mohammed.
Nevertheless, the Soviet Union, fearing possible aggression from
Turkey, kept its troops in northern Iran until May 1946.
After the war, Mohammed
Reza pursued a policy of active Westernization and de-Islamization,
which did not always find understanding among the people. In 1951,
Mohammed Mossadegh became the Chairman of the Iranian Government,
who was actively involved in reforming, seeking to revise the
agreements on the distribution of profits of British Petroleum. The
nationalization of the Iranian oil industry took place. However, in
the United States, immediately and with the active participation of
the British special services, a coup plan was developed, carried out
in August 1953 by the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt,
Carmit Roosevelt. Mossadegh was removed from his post and
imprisoned. Three years later, he was released and placed under
house arrest, where he remained until his death in 1967.
In
1957, the SAVAK secret police was founded.
In 1963, Ayatollah
Khomeini was expelled from the country as a result of a series of
radical reforms ("White Revolution"). The transformations and
de-Islamization led to active anti-government propaganda. In 1965,
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansour was fatally wounded by members of
the Fedayane Islam group. In 1973, in the course of the policy of
strengthening the power of the Shah, all political parties and
associations were banned, in 1975 the Rastakhiz party was
established within the framework of the one-party system. By the end
of the 1970s, Iran was engulfed in massive protests that resulted in
the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime and the final abolition of the
monarchy. In 1979, an Islamic revolution took place in the country
and an Islamic republic was founded.
Islamic republic
The
Islamic revolution in Iran was the transition from the Shah's
monarchical Pahlavi regime to an Islamic republic led by Ayatollah
Khomeini, the leader of the revolution and the founder of the new
order. The beginning of the revolution is considered to be the
massive anti-Shah protests in January 1978, suppressed by government
forces. In January 1979, after the country was paralyzed by constant
strikes and rallies, Pahlavi and his family left Iran, and on
February 1, Khomeini, who was in exile in France, arrived in Tehran.
The Ayatollah was greeted by millions of jubilant Iranians. On April
1, 1979, after a popular referendum, Iran was officially proclaimed
an Islamic republic. On December 3 of the same year, a new
constitution was adopted.
The internal political consequences
of the revolution were manifested in the establishment of a
theocratic regime of the Muslim clergy in the country, an increase
in the role of Islam in absolutely all spheres of life. There have
been dramatic changes in foreign policy. Iran's relations with the
United States have become extremely strained. Diplomatic relations
were severed on November 4, 1979, when the US embassy was seized in
Tehran and the diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. The
invaders (students, among whom, according to some sources, may have
been the later president of Iran, then an officer of the IRGC
special forces and an activist of the youth organization "Rallying
Unity" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) claimed that they were pursuing CIA
agents who were planning to overthrow the revolutionary government.
They also demanded the extradition of the fleeing shah. Only in
1981, with the mediation of Algeria, the crisis was resolved and the
hostages were released to their homeland.
Iran-Iraq War
Meanwhile, the President of neighboring Iraq, Saddam Hussein, has
decided to take advantage of the internal instability in Iran and
its strained relations with Western countries. Iran has been (not
for the first time) territorial claims for areas along the Persian
Gulf to the east of the Shatt al-Arab. In particular, Hussein
demanded the transfer to Iraq of western Khuzestan, where the
majority of the population were Arabs and there were huge oil
reserves. These demands were ignored by Iran, and Hussein began
preparations for a large-scale war. On September 22, 1980, the Iraqi
army crossed the Shatt al-Arab and invaded Khuzestan, which came as
a complete surprise to the Iranian leadership.
Although
Saddam Hussein achieved considerable success in the first months of
the war, the Iraqi army's offensive was soon halted, Iranian troops
launched a counteroffensive and by mid-1982 drove the Iraqis out of
the country. Khomeini decided not to stop the war, planning to
"export" the revolution to Iraq. This plan relied primarily on the
Shiite majority of eastern Iraq. Now the Iranian army has invaded
Iraq with the intention of overthrowing Saddam Hussein. However, in
subsequent years, Iran's military successes were insignificant, and
in 1988 the Iraqi army launched a counteroffensive and liberated all
the territories occupied by Iran. After that, a peace agreement was
signed. The Iranian-Iraqi border has remained unchanged.
During the war, Iraq
enjoyed the political, financial and military support of most Arab
countries, the Soviet Union, China, and the United States and its
allies. Iran was supported in one way or another by China, the USA,
Israel and some other countries. During the hostilities, the Iraqi
army has repeatedly used chemical weapons, including against
peaceful Iranians. More than 100,000 people in Iran may have died
from toxic chemicals. Iran's total losses in the eight-year war
exceed 500,000.
In 1997, Mohammed Khatami was elected
president of Iran, proclaiming the beginning of a policy of tolerant
attitude to culture and the establishment of closer ties with
Western countries. In the late 90s, European states began to restore
economic ties with Iran, interrupted by the revolution.
Nevertheless, the United States remained unchanged in its position.
The American leadership has charged Iran with sponsoring terrorism
and developing weapons of mass destruction. Later, US President
George W. Bush assigned Iran the label of an "Axis of Evil" country.
On June 20, 2019, the IRGC air force shot down an American
unmanned vehicle near the Strait of Hormuz. According to IRNA, the
US RQ-4 Global Hawk drone violated Iranian airspace and was shot
down by a surface-to-air missile over the province of Hormozgan.
According to the US version, the MQ-4C Triton drone flew in
international airspace and did not violate Iran's borders. The
United States planned to retaliate against three military targets in
Iran, however, according to Donald Trump, he canceled this decision
10 minutes before the attack.
According to the constitution
adopted in 1979, Iran is an Islamic republic. As of 2019, Iran is one of
the few existing theocracies in the world.
The head of state is
the Supreme Leader. It determines the general policy of the country.
Rahbar - Supreme Commander of the Iranian Armed Forces, head of military
intelligence. The supreme leader appoints people to key positions in the
state: the presidents of the courts, the head of the police and the
commanders of all branches of the armed forces, as well as six of the
twelve members of the Council of Guardians of the Constitution. The
Supreme Leader is elected by the Council of Experts and is accountable
to it.
The second most important official in Iran is the
President. The President is the guarantor of the constitution and the
head of the executive branch. Decisions on key issues are made only
after the approval of the Chief Executive. The President appoints the
members of the Council of Ministers and coordinates the work of the
government. Ten vice presidents and 21 government ministers are approved
for office by parliament. Although the president appoints the ministers
of defense and intelligence, nominations must be approved in advance by
the Supreme Leader. The president is elected by direct popular vote for
a four-year term. Presidential candidates must be pre-approved by the
Guardian Council.
Legislative power is represented by a
unicameral parliament - the Majlis (pers. مجلس شورای اسلام - "Islamic
Advisory Council"). The upper chamber was disbanded after the revolution
in 1979. The Majlis consists of 290 members elected by popular vote for
a four-year term. Parliament is responsible for drafting laws, ratifying
international treaties and budgeting. All candidates for deputies of the
Mejlis are also approved by the Council of Guardians.
The Council
of Guardians of the Constitution consists of 12 members, 6 of whom are
appointed by the Supreme Leader. The remaining 6 members are appointed
by Parliament on the proposal of the Chairman of the Supreme Court. The
Guardian Council approves candidates for key positions, including
candidates for president, members of the government and parliament. The
main duty of the Council is to check bills for compliance with Islamic
law. If there are disagreements with the Shariah, the bill is sent for
revision. In addition, the Council has the right to veto any decision of
the Majlis.
The Council of Expediency resolves disputes arising
between the Majlis and the Council of Guardians. The Expediency Council
is also an advisory body under the Supreme Leader. The Council's
chairman, former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is
Rahbar's personal adviser.
The Council of Experts is made up of
86 members of the Islamic clergy and meets for a week each year. The
Council of Experts elects the Supreme Leader and has the right to remove
him from office at any time (although there has never been such a
precedent: the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is only the second
in the history of the country, while the first, Khomeini, died while
still in office). Council meetings are closed. Council members are
elected by popular vote for an eight-year term.
Local governments
are present in all cities and villages of Iran and are elected by
popular vote for a four-year term. City (village) councils elect the
mayor, monitor the work of the bureaucracy, are responsible for the
development of education, medicine, housing and communal services and
other domestic issues. The first local council elections were held in
1999. Since the activities of the councils are exclusively
administrative and executive in nature, candidates for council members
do not need to be approved by the Council of Experts.
The
judiciary consists of the People's Court, dealing with civil and
criminal cases, and the Revolutionary Court, which has jurisdiction over
specific crimes, including those against the state. The verdict of the
Revolutionary Court is not subject to appeal. In addition, there is a
Special Spiritual Court. Decisions of this court are also not subject to
appeal; it operates separately from the general judicial system. The
highest instance of the Spiritual Court is Rahbar. He also appoints the
chairmen of the People's and Revolutionary Courts.
The laws of the Islamic Republic are based on Islamic law. The state
apparatus is closely intertwined with the Islamic clergy. In this
regard, there are restrictions on human rights, primarily related to
religion. In particular, in the system of government there is a
special body - the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, whose
activities prohibit non-Muslims from holding the highest government
posts, and members of parliament from drawing up bills that
contradict Sharia. According to the Constitution (Article 13), in
addition to Islam, only three religions are recognized:
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, believers of all other
religions (Buddhists, Baha'is, etc.) are considered "unprotected
infidels", they cannot be represented in parliament and do not have
practically any legal rights.
Sexual minorities are also
subject to persecution. Homosexual contact is a criminal offense
punishable up to the death penalty. Cases of execution of minors are
not uncommon: the case of two 16-year-old teenagers Mahmud Asgari
and Ayaz Marchoni, who were accused of raping a minor and publicly
hanged in the city square in the presence of a huge crowd of
onlookers, received the widest publicity (they were also accused of
drinking alcoholic beverages, disturbing public order and theft in
the central square in Mashhad). The execution took place two weeks
after the victory of the extremely conservative politician
Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections.
One of the
opposition leaders (Mehdi Karubi) accused the Iranian authorities of
using torture against political prisoners. An article posted on his
party's website mentions cases of brutal rape of prisoners.
Iran ranks second in the world (after China) in terms of the number
of executions. In 2006, at least 215 people were executed in the
country, including seven minors, in violation of the international
convention on children's rights. According to statistics from the
human rights group Amnesty International, more than 200 people were
executed in Iran in 2007 for serious crimes.
There are some
restrictions on freedom of the press: after the conservative wing
came to power, most of the pro-reformist newspapers were closed.
Broadcasting of Western music is prohibited. Restrictions apply not
only to print media and television. The Internet is also censored.
The activities of providers, including commercial ones, are
controlled by the Ministry of Information. All newly registered
websites in the .ir domain are subject to verification, and there is
automatic e-mail filtering. Pornographic and anti-Islamic sites are
prohibited. The websites of opposition organizations are mainly
located on foreign servers.
Human rights organizations are
also being persecuted in Iran. For example, the case of the seizure
by the authorities of this country of the Nobel Peace Prize and the
Order of the Legion of Honor from the well-known Iranian human
rights activist Shirin Ebadi, as well as the closure of her Center
for the Protection of Human Rights, received a wide international
resonance.
Until 1979, Iran was generally a pro-Western state. The Islamic
Revolution of 1979, which took place on a wave of anti-Americanism,
radically changed the country's foreign policy. The victory of the
Islamic Revolution was marked by an international hostage-taking
scandal at the American embassy in Tehran. This crisis led to a
deterioration in relations with all Western countries, and also
served as a pretext for breaking off diplomatic relations with the
United States, which have not been restored to this day.
The
revolution coincided in time with the entry of Soviet troops into
Afghanistan, which had an extremely negative impact on relations
with the USSR. Iran maintained diplomatic relations with the Soviet
Union, but the proposals of the Soviet leadership to hold a
bilateral meeting were ignored. It is also known that in 1988
Ayatollah sent a telegram to Gorbachev, in which he suggested that
he build an Islamic republic in the USSR.
The revolution
spoiled relations not only with the West, but also with the Arab
world. In 1980, Iraq invaded the oil-rich Khuzestan, starting the
Iran-Iraq War. Having knocked out Iraqi troops from Iran, the
country's leadership planned to "export" the Islamic revolution to
Iraq with the help of a counteroffensive. However, due to the rapid
exhaustion of troops and the use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi
army, these plans were not successful. Meanwhile, Iranian-American
relations were further complicated after an American missile cruiser
in the Persian Gulf shot down an Iranian passenger plane.
After the end of the Iran-Iraq war and with the death of Khomeini,
Iran's relations with Europe began to gradually improve, which was
largely facilitated by Rafsanjani's pragmatic policy. New relations
were built with the independent republics of the collapsed USSR. In
particular, Iran denounced Chechen separatism, thereby providing
tacit support to Russia in this matter. Today, Iran is taking part
in the reconstruction of the Chechen economy. Largely thanks to the
diplomatic efforts of Iran, Russia was able to partially restore the
lost influence in the Middle East and Central Asia. Russia agreed to
continue the construction of a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, begun
under Pahlavi.
However, Iran's relationship with the United
States is still tense. This was largely facilitated by the victory
of the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential
elections in Iran in 2005. His harsh statements about Israel spoiled
relations with this state as well. The US and Israel accuse Iran of
sponsoring terrorist organizations (in the US, Israel and the EU,
Hezbollah, in particular, is considered a terrorist organization)
and developing nuclear weapons. According to unconfirmed reports,
the United States is preparing a missile attack on Iran's nuclear
facilities.
Iran has diplomatic missions in most countries of
the world. At the same time, like many other Islamic states, Iran
does not recognize Israel. In the official statements of the Iranian
Foreign Ministry, Israel is referred to as the "Zionist regime".
There are no diplomatic relations with the US either. Iran is a
member of the UN (since 1945), OIC, OPEC, SAARC, and is also an
observer at the SCO.
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia since
January 2009, Reza Sajjadi, has been writing a blog about Iran in
Russian.
In 2012, Iran becomes the leader of the Non-Aligned
Movement, becoming in August for 3 years the country-chairman of
this movement, which is the second largest international structure
after the UN.
Territorial disputes
There are territorial
disputes between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over three
islands in the Strait of Hormuz that control the entrance to the
Persian Gulf. In the late 1940s, the sheikhs of the emirates of Abu
Dhabi and Dubai, which were under the British protectorate,
alternately owned the islands. In 1971, after the withdrawal of
Great Britain from the region, the islands were supposed to go to
the UAE, which included both of these emirates, but they were
captured by the Shah's Iran. The islands still contain a significant
military contingent.
There are also claims on the territory
of Azerbaijan and Afghanistan and part of the territory of Pakistan.
Iran is located in southwestern Asia. In terms of area (1648
thousand km²), the country ranks seventeenth in the world. Iran
borders with Azerbaijan (the length of the border is 611 km (with
the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic - 179 km) and Armenia (36 km) in
the northwest, with Turkmenistan (992 km) in the northeast, with
Pakistan (909 km) and Afghanistan (936 km) in the east, with Turkey
(499 km) and Iraq (1458 km) in the west.In the north it is washed by
the Caspian Sea, in the south by the Persian and Oman gulfs of the
Arabian Sea.
Most of the territory of Iran is located on the
Iranian plateau, with the exception of the coast of the Caspian Sea
and Khuzestan. Iran is generally a mountainous country. Dozens of
mountain ranges and ranges separate river basins and plateaus from
each other. The most populated western part of the country is also
the most mountainous, where the Caucasus Mountains and Elburz are
located. The highest point of Iran, Damavend Peak (5604 m), is
located in the Elburz chain. The east of Iran is mainly covered with
saline deserts and semi-deserts, including the largest -
Deshte-Kevir and Deshte-Lut. The dominance of deserts in this region
is explained by the impossibility of penetrating moist air masses
from the Arabian and Mediterranean seas because of the mountains.
With the exception of a few oases, these deserts are practically
uninhabited.
Large plains are found only in the north of Iran
along the coast of the Caspian Sea, as well as in the southwest - at
the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab River along the coast of the Persian
Gulf. Smaller plains are found along the southeastern coast of the
Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman.
The climate of Iran varies from arid, characteristic of the
predominant territory of the country, to subtropical along the coast
of the Caspian Sea and in the northern forest regions. There,
temperatures rarely drop below 0°C in winter and rarely exceed 29°C
in summer. The average annual rainfall is 1700 mm in the west of the
Caspian region and 680 mm in its east.
In the west of Iran,
in the Zagros Mountains, the temperature is almost always below 0 °
C in winter, heavy snowfalls and strong winds are characteristic. In
the central and eastern regions of the country, the climate is arid,
with an average annual rainfall of less than 200 mm and average
summer temperatures above 38 °C. On the plains along the shores of
the Persian and Oman Gulfs, winters are mostly mild, while summers
are hot and humid. The average annual rainfall is 135-355 mm.
Thunderstorms are frequent in spring with heavy rains and hail.
The main administrative unit of Iran are ostans (Pers. استان -
ostān; pl. - استانﻫﺎ - ostānhā), which are divided into shahrestans
(Pers. شهرستان), and those in turn - into bakhshi (Pers. بخش).
Ostan's largest city is most often its capital (Persian مرکز -
markaz). Each stop is controlled by a governor (ostandar -
استاندار). Iran is divided into 31 stops.
Until 1950, Iran
was divided into only 12 stops: Ardalyan, Azerbaijan, Balochistan,
Fars, Gilan, Araki-Ajam, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kerman, Larestan,
Lorestan and Mazandaran. In 1950, their number decreased to 10, and
then increased to 28 between 1960 and 1981. In 2004, Khorasan was
divided into 3 separate stops, and Tehran in 2010 into 2 separate
stops.
Population
In the 1950s-1990s, the country
experienced a population explosion. The population has doubled since
1979, reaching 70,495,782 in 2006 and 75,149,669 in 2011. However,
in the 1990s, the birth rate declined markedly and has now fallen
below the simple replacement of generations. The total fertility
rate is 1.87 (2.15 is necessary for the reproduction of
generations). Over 61% of the population is under 30 (May 2009). The
literacy rate is 84%, urbanization - 71%.
Thanks to the
improvement in the state of medical and other infrastructure in
rural areas after the Islamic Revolution, the overall mortality rate
was able to drop sharply in a very short time - from 13 ‰ in 1978 to
7 ‰ in 1990 and 5 ‰ in 2014, and child mortality ( up to 5 years) -
from 12.7% to 5.8% and 1.6%. Maternal mortality from 1990 to 2014
rapidly decreased - from 123 to 25 per 100 thousand live births, or
5 times.
The number of Iranians abroad exceeds 4 million.
Most of them emigrated to Australia, North America and Europe after
the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In addition, as of 1996, more than a
million refugees lived in Iran itself, mainly from Afghanistan and
Waziristan.
The Iranian constitution guarantees every
citizen, regardless of nationality and religion, social protection:
pension, unemployment benefit, disability, medical insurance.
Education and medical services are free. The average annual per
capita income is $2,700 (2006). About 18% of the population lives
below the poverty line.
Iran is a multi-ethnic state. There
is no official information about the ethnic composition of the
population. According to the CIA's World Book of Facts, the
following people live in the country: Persians (61%), Azerbaijanis
(16%), Kurds (10%), Lurs (6%), Arabs (2%), Baluchis (2%), Turkmens
and Turkic tribes (2%).
Most Iranians are Muslims. 85% of the population are Shia Muslims
(state religion). Along with Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, Iran is
one of the states where Shiites make up more than half of the
population, however, the doctrine of the country - "Wilayat Faqih" -
according to the majority of Shiites, has no connection with Shiism.
Qom is the most important religious center of Shiism with many
Shiite seminaries and universities, and the tomb of Imam Reza is
located in Mashhad.
Sunni Muslims make up about 9% of the
population. Christians make up about 4%.
And the other 2%
belong to the Baha'is, Mandaeans, Hindus, Yezidis, Zoroastrians,
Jews. The last two, and Christianity, are officially recognized and
protected by the constitution. Seats in the Majlis are reserved for
representatives of these religions, while even Sunnis do not have
such a privilege. At the same time, the Bahá'ís (the largest
religious minority) are being persecuted. The state system of Iran,
based on religion, implies the truncation of certain rights and
freedoms.
According to the results of the study of the
international charitable Christian organization "Open Doors" for
2014, Iran ranks 9th in the list of countries where the rights of
Christians are most often oppressed.
Advantages: second place in the world in terms of oil production
among OPEC countries; Since 2000, oil prices have been growing on
the world market (until 2015, when there was a sharp decline, to 35
Usd). Potential for related industrial sectors and for increased
production of traditional export commodities such as carpets,
pistachios and caviar.
Weaknesses: Sanctions imposed on Iran
since 1979 limit contact with Iran and access to technology. High
unemployment (12%) and inflation (in 2004 - 11.3%; in 2008 - 28.2%).
It should be noted that in 2009 inflation fell sharply and in
October amounted to 16.7%.
Iran is the largest economy in the
Middle East, second only to China, Japan, India, Turkey, Indonesia
and South Korea in terms of GDP in Asia.
Iran is an
industrial country with a developed oil industry. There are oil
refineries and petrochemical enterprises. Extraction of oil, coal,
gas, copper, iron, manganese and lead-zinc ores. Mechanical
engineering and metalworking, as well as the food and textile
industries are widely represented. Handicraft production of carpets
and hardware is developed. Among the most important agricultural
crops are wheat, barley, rice, legumes, cotton, sugar beets, sugar
cane, tobacco, tea, nuts, pistachios. Animal husbandry is based on
the breeding of sheep, goats, camels, and cattle. 7.5 million
hectares of land are irrigated.
45% of budget revenues come
from oil and gas exports, 31% from taxes and fees. In 2007, GDP was
$852 billion. GDP growth amounted to 5%, in 2008 growth of 7% is
predicted. Inflation is 15.8%.
Exports in 2017 91.99 billion
dollars: oil (up to 60% of the value), chemical and petrochemical
products, fruits and nuts, carpets, cement, metal ores.
The
main buyers in 2017 are China 27.5%, India 15.1%, South Korea 11.4%,
Turkey 11.1%, Italy 5.7%, Japan 5.3%.
Imports in 2017:
industrial goods, machinery and equipment, food and other consumer
goods, metallurgy products, weapons. The total cost is estimated at
$132.6 billion.
The main suppliers in 2017 are the UAE -
29.8%, China - 12.7%, Turkey - 4.4%, South Korea - 4%, Germany - 4%.
Iran is a key member of the Economic Cooperation Organization,
which includes the countries of Southwest Asia as well as the
Central Asian republics of the former USSR. Iran is actively
developing economic ties with the countries of the region and aims
to form a free trade area similar to the EU. Free commercial and
industrial zones are being developed in Chabahar and on the island
of Kish.
According to the Al-Arabiya TV channel, the Islamic
Republic is now in the deepest crisis since its formation 32 years
ago. Tehran is unable to cope with the economic challenges facing
the country. The reason for this was the failed economic policy of
President Ahmadinejad and the economic sanctions imposed on Iran by
the world community.
Iran has 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. The main deposits
are located on the shelf of the Persian Gulf and in the north-east
of the country.
By 2010, it is planned to increase gas
production in Iran to 290 billion cubic meters per year. At the same
time, full-scale gas exports should be launched. In 2005, Iran
supplied annually 7 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey. A gas
pipeline is currently under construction from the South Pars field
to a natural gas liquefaction plant on Kish Island in the Persian
Gulf. The construction of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline is
being discussed. In 2005, the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline was opened.
To expand gas exports, an attempt may be made to restore the
IGAT gas pipeline network, including IGAT-1 with a capacity of 9.6
billion cubic meters per year, built in 1970 to supply gas to
Armenia and Azerbaijan, and IGAT-2 with a capacity of 27 billion
cubic meters per year , the construction of which was not completed
due to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Both pipelines require
reconstruction. Their reopening may allow Iran to supply gas through
Ukraine to the EU. As an alternative, the expansion of the existing
gas pipeline from Iran to Turkey to Greece is being considered.
The largest importer of Iranian gas is Turkey. In 2017, the
volume of deliveries amounted to 8.9 billion cubic meters.
In
2005, Iran had 132 billion barrels of proven oil reserves (about 10%
of the world's reserves). Iran produces 4.2 million barrels per day,
of which about 2.7 million barrels are exported. Iran was the fourth
oil exporter in the world (second in OPEC), as well as the largest
supplier of oil to China.
According to the Iranian
constitution, it is prohibited to sell shares of national oil
companies to foreign companies or grant them concessions to extract
oil. The development of oil fields is carried out by the state-owned
Iranian National Oil Company (INOC). Since the late 1990s, however,
foreign investors have entered the oil industry (French Total and
Elf Aquitaine, Malaysian Petronas, Italian Eni, China National Oil
Company, and Belarusian Belneftekhim), who, under compensation
contracts, receive part of the oil produced, and upon expiration of
the contract, the deposits are transferred under the control of
INNK.
Despite its colossal hydrocarbon reserves, Iran is
experiencing a shortage of electricity. Electricity imports exceed
exports by 500 million kilowatt-hours. The national program
developed in this regard implies reaching by 2010 the level of
53,000 megawatts of installed capacity. The program provides for the
development of hydroelectric power and nuclear power. The first
Iranian nuclear power plant was built in Bushehr with the assistance
of Russia.
On July 14, 2015, Iran and a group of six
countries (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -
the United States, France, Great Britain, China, Russia + Germany)
signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The treaty removed
from Iran previously imposed economic and financial sanctions by the
UN Security Council, the United States and the European Union in
exchange for Tehran's restriction of its nuclear activities. The
document entered into force on January 16, 2016. On May 8, 2018, US
President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPO) concluded between Iran, the
United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in 2015,
and which provides for Tehran to take a number of steps to limit its
nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. After
unilaterally withdrawing from the FDP, Trump announced a phased
resumption of sanctions that were already in place, but they were
lifted in 2015. The US President demanded that companies from third
countries doing business with Iran complete all their business with
Iranian partners within 60 days. This deadline expired on August 6,
2018.
The main consumers of Iranian oil in 2017 were Europe
(35.5%) and the Asia-Pacific region (64.5%).
Iran's tourism industry was severely affected by the Iran-Iraq war,
but is currently being revived. In 2003, 300,000 tourist visas were
issued, most to pilgrims from neighboring Islamic states heading to
Mashhad and Qom. In 2004, 1.7 million foreign tourists visited Iran.
If for Muslims, probably, the main interest is sacred places, then
Europeans are mainly interested in archaeological excavations and
ancient monuments. In 2004, tourism industry revenues exceeded $2
billion. The development of tourism is strongly hindered by the
imperfection of infrastructure.
In terms of budget revenues
from tourism, Iran is ranked 68th. 1.8% of the population are
employed in the tourism business. According to forecasts, this
sector of the economy is one of the most promising in the country;
it is expected to increase by 10% in the coming years.
In
addition, Iran considers such a promising area of the tourism
industry as medical tourism. WHO calculations show that due to the
high quality of medical services and low treatment costs, combined
with a good medical infrastructure, Iran becomes one of the best
options for medical tourism. Today, many cities in Iran present
their services to medical tourists. One such city is Shiraz in the
southern province of Fars. Several thousand patients from different
countries come here every year for treatment. The organization and
control of all services related to medical tourism in the city is
under the responsibility of the Shiraz University of Medical
Sciences.
In Iran, right-hand traffic operates (the steering wheel is on the
left).
Iran has a developed transport infrastructure. The
total length of motor roads is 178,000 km, of which 2/3 are paved.
There are 30 private cars per 1,000 people. The length of railways
is 8400 km (2005). Rail links are available with Azerbaijan,
Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. The construction of the
Khorramshahr-Basra branch (Iraq) is underway. Track width - 1435 mm.
The largest port is Bandar Abbas on the shores of the Persian Gulf,
on the shores of the Caspian Sea - Anzali. There are 321 airports in
Iran, 129 have paved runways. Subways are under construction in six
major cities. The length of pipelines is 34 thousand km; 17,000 of
them are gas pipelines, 16,000 are oil pipelines, and 1,000 are for
the distillation of liquefied gas and gas condensate.
Newspapers: "Keyhan", "Ettelaat".
Television and radio
broadcasting: "Press TV", "Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran"
News agencies: IRNA (IRNA), ISNA (ISNA), FARS
The Iranian Armed Forces consist of two main components: the Army
and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Both components are
directly subordinated to the Supreme Leader. In addition, there are
law enforcement forces (internal and border troops, police). In
total, about one and a half million people serve in the armed
forces. The reserve is 350 thousand. In Iran, there is also a
paramilitary organization within the framework of the IRGC - Basij,
where 90,000 volunteers and 11 million reservists, including women,
are on permanent duty. Thus, the total number of armed forces,
taking into account the reserve in Iran, exceeds 12 million people.
Iran's combat capability is a closely guarded secret. In recent
years, the production of ballistic missiles has been launched,
including Shahab-3, the Dastan tank, and the modernized T-72 tank.
And if Iran used to spend 3.3% of GDP on the military budget, which
was much less compared to other countries in the Middle East,
especially Israel, then recently the cost of weapons in Iran has
grown dramatically, in addition, Iran has a satellite in space.
Military-technical cooperation with China
Tehran's
cooperation with Beijing in the military sphere is perhaps even
closer than with Moscow: in 1987-2002, the PRC supplied arms and
military equipment to Iran worth $4.4 billion. The PRC supplied
fighter jets, anti-ship missiles, military transport aircraft,
artillery pieces, medium tanks, and a number of technologies.
By launching the Omid (Hope) satellite on February 2, 2009 using its
own Safir-2 launch vehicle from the Semnan Cosmodrome, Iran became
the tenth space power on the second attempt.
In early
February 2010, the Iranian media reported that Iran had sent a
capsule with living organisms into space on a launch vehicle of its
own production, Kavoshgar-3.
Also, on February 3, 2012, Iran
successfully launched a new satellite, Navid (Novelty), into orbit.
One of his tasks is to photograph the surface of the Earth.
Iran made its first launch of a spacecraft with a monkey on board in
January 2013. The Pioneer apparatus with a monkey on board was
launched into an orbit at a height of 120 km. According to Iranian
television, the device returned to Earth without damage. The
"capsule of life" was delivered into space by an Iranian-made
carrier rocket "Kavoshgar-5".
Earlier, the head of the
Iranian space department, Hamid Fazeli, explained that the launch of
a monkey into space is a preparatory part of the project, which
provides for the flight of a person into space. Iran plans to carry
out a manned space flight in the next 5-8 years. In February 2010,
the Kavoshgar-3 launch vehicle delivered mice, turtles and worms
into space for scientific research. The next launch took place in
2011.
Iran has its own space agency.