Language: Persian
Currency: Rial (IRR)
Calling Code: 98
The Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری
اسلامی ایران) is a state in the Middle East and West Asia. From the
first millennium B.C. Until 1935, it was known as Persia in the
West, but the designation Iran is still valid and accepted today. It
is bordered by Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east, Turkmenistan to
the northeast, the Caspian Sea to the north, Azerbaijan and Armenia
to the northwest, Turkey and Iraq to the west, and the Persian Gulf
and Gulf of Oman to the south.
With a land area of 1,648 195
km², Iran is the 18th largest country in the world. It is a
geopolitically important country located between the Middle East,
Central Asia, and South Asia. Tehran is the capital and the
political, industrial, commercial, and cultural center of the
country. Iran is a regional power with large hydrocarbon reserves
(4th largest in the world in oil reserves and 1st in gas reserves),
and is a potential superpower, with significant oil revenues
reported over the decades.
The ethnic diversity of Iran's
people, including Persians, Kurds, Turks, Lors, Arabs, Turkmen, and
Baloch, is part of Iranian culture and gives this vast territory a
special appeal. After Iraq, Iran is the second oldest home of
civilization. The first known dynasty in western Iran is that of
Elam, which dates from 2800 BC. In 625 B.C. the Medes formed the
first empire encompassing "Greater Iran. It was succeeded by the
Achaemenids, then hellenized by the Seleucids after the conquest by
Alexander the Great, and reintegrated by successive empires, the
Arsacids and the Sassanids, in reference to their own country. The
Muslim conquest in 651 A.D. spread the Persian language throughout
the Iranian plateau and various aspects of Iranian culture
throughout the Muslim world.
In 1501, the Safavid dynasty
emerged and the previously majority Sunni sect was replaced by Shia
as the official religion of the kingdom. Under the regime of Nader
Shah, which began in 1736, Iran achieved its greatest territorial
expansion since the Sassanid dynasty. in the 19th century, the
Russo-Persian War (1804～In the early 20th century, the
Constitutional Revolution of 1906 established the first legislative
assembly in Iran (and on the Asian continent) and vested monarchical
power in a constitution. 1953, Prime Minister Mossadegh, who had
nationalized oil two years earlier, was defeated by British and Shah
Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by the United
States, and Shah Reza Pahlavi assumed greater authority over the
country's politics. The monarchy came to an end in 1979 with a
popular revolution that led to the Islamic Revolution, ended by the
Shiites led by Khomeini, and the Islamic Republic was established on
April 1, 1979; in 2015, a joint full action plan with the P5+1 on
Iran's nuclear program was signed.
Iran is a founding member
of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, and OPEC. Iran's political system is based on
the 1979 Constitution of the Islamic Republic, which governs the
relationship between the various branches of government. The supreme
authority is the Supreme Leader of Iran, but day-to-day
administrative management is the responsibility of the President.
The official religion of Iran is Islam, and the official language is
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 (ايراﻥ); Erān goes back to Avesta;
Airyāna is formed from the ancient Indo-Iranian self-designation
"Aryan", adjective "Aryan country", or in expressions like Avesta,
genitive "Aryan country" in the genitive "Aryan nation".
During
the Achaemenid period (550-327 B.C.), the ancient Iranian concept of
"Aryānam dahunam" was transformed into another Persian term, "Aryānam
Xšaθram," or "Aryan nation," which later became the Arshakid (250 B.C. -
224 A.D.) state name "Aryānšaθr / Aryānšahr". According to Richard Frye,
"With the expansion of the Parthians, the word Arya (Aryane of Greek
origin) eventually became so widespread that it became the equivalent of
the name "Great Arya," or Eranshahr, the "kingdom of the Aryans," as the
Sassanid dynasty called its vast homeland. It seems to have spread".
Strabo's Ariana (Άριανή) meant the eastern provinces of the Persian
kingdom: Gedrosia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Paropamiz, Aria (i.e. Areia,
the ancient Persian Haraiva, now Herat), Parthia, Carmania.
The
state name of the Sāsānid dynasty (224-651) is Pale; Erānšahr is derived
from Avesta. It means "Airyānam Xšaθram" or "Kingdom of the Aryans." The
Avestan double vowel "ai" changed to the Middle Persian "e". The
official title of the Sasanian dynasty was: "King of the Kings of Elan
and Aneran."
The self-proclaimed title of the Iranians is Irani.
Even though Iranians had long called their country Iran, the ancient
Greek name "Persia" was generally accepted by the rest of the world
until 1935, when Shah Reza demanded that other countries call their
country Iran as well.
The history of the state in Iran is one of the oldest in the world,
spanning almost 5,000 years according to documentary sources. The first
state on the territory of Iran was Elam, which was created in Khuzestan
in the third millennium B.C. The first state in Iran was the Persian
Empire, which was founded in the fourth millennium B.C. The Persian
Empire at the time of Darius I of Achaemenides already extended from
Greece and Cyrenaica to the Indus and Tarim rivers. Known as Persia
because of its long written history, Iran was one of the most
influential political, cultural, and world centers for more than two
millennia. For centuries, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion; in
the 16th century, Islam became the state religion of Iran.
The
Persian Empire of Darius I stretched from Greece and Libya to the Indus
River. Persia was the most populous nation in history (50% of the
world's population were Achaemenid subjects) and one of the strongest
and most influential culturally and politically until the 17th and 18th
centuries, when it was transformed into a semi-colonial state by the end
of the 19th century In 1935, Persia was renamed a country (northern Iran
in Zoroastrianism and southern Afghanistan as Ariana) to Iran.
In
1979, the Islamic Revolution under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini
overthrew the monarchy and proclaimed an Islamic republic.
The settlement of Iranian territory dates back to ancient times. At
the beginning of the first millennium B.C., the Iranian people were
predominant in their territory. Several tribes (Persians, Medes,
Bactrians, Parthians) settled in the western part of the plateau, while
Baloch settled in the east and on the coast of the Gulf of Oman.
The first important Iranian state was the Medes, founded in the late 8th
or early 7th century B.C., with its capital at Hamadan (Ekbatana). The
Medes soon established control over all of western Iran and parts of
eastern Iran. Together with Babylonia, they defeated the Assyrian Empire
and occupied northern Mesopotamia and Urartu.
In 553 B.C., Cyrus, the young Persian king of the Achaemenid dynasty,
opposed the Medes. Cyrus occupied Ecbatana and proclaimed himself king
of Persia and Media. At the same time, the Media king Istuweg was
captured, but was later released and appointed governor of one of the
provinces. until his death in 529 BC. Cyrus II subjugated the Achaemenid
dynasty throughout the Mediterranean and Western Asia from Anatolia to
Syr Darya. Earlier, in 546 B.C., Cyrus founded the kingdom's capital,
Pasargadae, in Pharus, where he was buried. Cyrus' son, Cambyses II,
extended his father's empire into Egypt and Ethiopia.
After the
death of Cambyses, civil strife among his entourage and rebellions
throughout the country followed, and Darius Hystaspes came to power.
Darius quickly and caustically brought order to the empire and launched
a new campaign of conquest. As a result, the Achaemenid Empire expanded
west to the Balkans and east to the Indus River, becoming the largest
and most powerful state in existence at the time. Darius also undertook
a series of domestic reforms. The army was not subject to satraps, and
at the same time, military leaders had no executive power. In addition,
Darius instituted monetary reforms and circulated golden gifts. This,
coupled with the construction of a paved road network, contributed to an
unprecedented leap in trade relations.
Darius patronized
Zoroastrianism and regarded the priesthood as the core of the Persian
state system. Under him, this first monotheistic religion became the
state religion of the empire. At the same time, the Persians became
tolerant of the conquered peoples and their beliefs and culture. Darius
I's successors began to violate the principles of internal structure
introduced by the king, resulting in increased satrapy independence.
Revolts broke out in Egypt, and riots broke out in Greece and Macedonia.
Under these circumstances, the Macedonian commander Alexander launched a
military campaign against the Persians, which defeated the Achaemenids
by 330 BC.
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., his empire was
divided into several states. Most of the territory of present-day Iran
belonged to the Seleucids, but the Parthian king Mithridates I soon
launched a campaign of conquest against the Seleucids, adding not only
Mesopotamia but also Persia to his territory. In 92 B.C. Parthia and
Rome drew a border along the Euphrates River, but the Roman army almost
immediately invaded Satrapi in western Parthia and was defeated. In
retaliation, Parthia captured the entire Levant and Anatolia, but was
driven back to the Euphrates River by Marco Antony's army. Soon after,
Rome intervened in a dispute between Parthia and the Greek nobility, and
a series of civil wars broke out in Parthia.
In 224, Ardashir
Papacan, son of the ruler of the small town of Keil in Pars, defeated
the Parthian army of Artaban IV and founded the second Persian empire of
Iranshah ("Kingdom of the Aryans") with Firzabad as its capital,
becoming the founder of the new dynasty of the Sassanids. The influence
of the nobility and the Zoroastrian clergy increased, and persecution of
the gentiles began. Administrative reforms took place. The Sassanids
continued to fight against Rome and the nomads of Central Asia.
Under Tsar Khosrov I (531-579), aggressive expansion began: Antioch in
540 and Egypt in 562. The Byzantine Empire became dependent on Persian
taxes. Coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula, including Yemen, were
occupied. Around the same time, Khosrov defeated the Hephthalites in
what is now the territory of Tajikistan. Khosrov's military successes
led to a flourishing trade and culture in Iran.
Khosrov II
(590-628), grandson of Khosrov I, resumed war against Byzantium, but
suffered defeat after defeat. The war was financed by exorbitant taxes
from merchants and extortion from the poor. The result was a revolt
throughout the country, and Khosrov was captured and executed. His
grandson Yazdigild III (632-651) became the last Sasanian king. Despite
the end of the war with Byzantium, the empire continued to crumble. In
the south, Persia faced a new enemy: the Arabs.
Arab raids on Sassanid Iran began in 632. The Persian army suffered
its greatest defeat at the Battle of Qadisiyah in 637. Arab conquest of
Persia continued until 652, when Persia was incorporated into the
Umayyad caliphate. The Arabs spread Islam to Iran, which greatly changed
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 Islamic Golden Age.
In
750, the Persian general Abu Muslim led an Abbasid expedition against
the Umayyads to Damascus and then to Baghdad, the capital of the
caliphate. The new caliph was grateful, granting the Persian ruler a
certain degree of autonomy and appointing several Persians as viziers.
Nevertheless, in 822, Tahir bin Hussein bin Musab, governor of Khorasan,
proclaimed the independence of the Khorasan region and declared himself
the founder of a new Persian dynasty, the Taqirid dynasty. By the time
the Sahmanid rule began, Iran had essentially regained its independence
from the Arabs.
Despite the adoption of Islam by Persian society, Arabization in Iran
was not successful. The implantation of Arab culture met with resistance
from the Persians and became a driving force in their struggle for
independence from the Arabs; the revival of Persian language and Persian
literature, which peaked in the 9th and 10th centuries, played an
important role in the recovery of Persian national identity. Ferdowsi's
epic poem Shahmeh, written in Persian, gained fame in this regard.
In 962, the Turkic commander Alp-Tegin founded the Turkic state of
Ghaznevid with Ghazni (Afghanistan) as its capital against the Samanids.
Under the Ghaznavid dynasty, Persia's cultural prosperity continued. The
Seljuk dynasty, which followed in their footsteps, moved its capital to
Isfahan.
In 1220, northeastern Iran, part of the Turkic Khorezm
kingdom, was attacked by the army of Genghis Khan. The entire territory
of Khorasan and the eastern provinces of modern Iran was devastated.
About half of the population was killed by the Mongols. The conquest of
Iran was completed by Genghis Khan's grandson Hulagu. In the state he
founded, his descendants, the Ilkhans, ruled until the mid-14th century.
Emir Timur, the great ruler and commander of the Turks, is popularly
regarded in the West as the man who established Tamerlane's control over
Iran. Tamerlane brought thousands of skilled craftsmen from Iran to his
capital, Samarkand, and they built masterpieces of world architecture in
Samarkand. For example, Tabriz craftsmen built the Gul Emir's Mausoleum
in Samarkand. During the reign of Timur Shahrukh's youngest son, science
and culture flourished in Iran. This continued into the reign of Timurid
Sultan Hussein Baikala.
The centralization of Iran resumed with
the coming to power of the Safavid Qizilbash dynasty, which put an end
to the rule of the descendants of the Mongol conquerors.
Shiism was adopted as the state
religion in Iran during the reign of Shah Ismail I of the Safavid
dynasty. After his victory over Arvand Khan, ruler of the Turkic state
of Ak Koyunlu near Shahrur (Nakhchevan), Ismail entered Tabriz and
proclaimed the Shah of Azerbaijan in July 1501. Ismail soon conquered
all of Iran and acceded to the Shahinshah of Iran in May 1502 .Tabriz
became the capital of the Safavid dynasty, and later the capital moved
to Qazvin and then to Isfahan. During the reign of Abbas I, the Safavids
defeated the Ottomans and annexed what is now Iraq, Afghanistan, parts
of Pakistan, the territory of Azerbaijan, parts of Armenia and Georgia,
and the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran on the Caspian Sea coast,
bringing the empire to its zenith. Thus, Iran's territory extends from
the Tigris to the Indus River.
The conquered territories brought
wealth and prosperity to Iran. Culture began to flourish. Iran became a
centralized state and its military was modernized. However, after the
death of Abbas the Great, the empire declined. Through misrule, the
empire lost Kandahar and Baghdad, and in 1722, the Gilzai Afghans
stormed Iran, took Isfahan on the move, and put Mahmud Khan on the
throne. Later, Nadir Shah, commander of the last Safavid ruler Takhmasp
II, killed him along with his son and established Afshar rule in Iran.
First, Nadir Shah changed the state religion to Sunni, defeated
Afghanistan, and returned Kandahar to Persia. The retreating Afghan army
fled to India. Nadir Shah asked Moghul Mohammed Shah of India not to
receive them, but he did not agree, and Shah invaded India; In 1739,
Nadir Shah's army entered Delhi, but was soon met with mutiny. After a
massacre in Delhi, the Persians returned to Iran and sacked Delhi; In
1740, Nadir Shah led an expedition into Turkestan, which advanced the
Iranian border as far as the Amudarya River. In the Caucasus, the
Persians reached Dagestan; in 1747, Nadir Shah was murdered.
In
1750, power passed to the Zend dynasty led by Karim Khan. Karim Khan
became the first Persian head of state in 700 years. He moved the
capital to Shiraz. His reign was characterized by few wars and a
flourishing culture. Zend's rule ended after only three generations and
was succeeded by the Qajar dynasty in 1781. The founder of the dynasty,
the eunuch Agha-Mohammed Khan, took retribution against the descendants
of Zend and the Afshar dynasty. Having consolidated the power of the
Qajar dynasty in Iran, Mohammed Khan conducted a campaign against
Georgia, defeating Tbilisi and destroying more than 20,000 inhabitants
of the city; a second campaign against Georgia in 1797 was carried out
in Karabagh by his own servants (Georgians and Kurds) He was killed, so
it was never carried out. Shortly before his death, Mohammed Khan moved
the capital of Iran to Tehran.
As a result of a series of failed
wars with the Russian Empire, Qajar Persia lost territory now occupied
by Azerbaijan and Armenia. In 1906, after long protests, a
constitutional revolution took place and Iran became a constitutional
monarchy; in the summer of 1918, British troops occupied all of Iran; on
August 9, 1919, the Anglo-Iranian Agreement was signed, establishing
full British control over the Iranian economy and military. On February
21, 1921, Reza Khan Pahlavi overthrew Ahmed Shah and proclaimed the new
Shah in 1925. signed a new treaty, recognizing Iran's full independence.
Pahlavi circulated the term "Shahinshah" ("king among kings"). On the
Persian New Year, i.e., March 22, 1935, the name of the state was
officially changed from Persia to Iran. Iran's massive industrialization
began and its infrastructure was completely modernized. During World War
II, Shahinshah refused British and Soviet requests to deploy troops to
Iran. The Allies then invaded Iran, overthrew the Shah, and took control
of the railroads and oil fields; In 1942, Iranian sovereignty was
restored and power passed to the Shah's son, Mohammed. Nevertheless, the
Soviet Union, fearing an invasion from Turkey, stationed troops in
northern Iran until May 1946.
After the war, Mohammed Reza pursued an aggressive westernization and
de-Islamization policy, which was not always well understood by the
public; In 1951, Mohammed Mossadegh became chairman of the Iranian
government and took an active role in reform, calling for a review of
the agreement on profit sharing for British oil. Iran's oil industry was
nationalized. In the U.S., however, a coup plan was immediately drawn up
with the active participation of British special agencies and executed
in August 1953 by Kermit Roosevelt, grandson of President Theodore
Roosevelt. Mossadegh was dismissed and imprisoned; Three years later,
Mossadegh was released and placed under house arrest until his death in
1967.
In 1957, the secret police SAVAK was created.
In
1963, as a result of a series of radical reforms (the "White
Revolution"), Rabbi Khomeini was expelled from the country. This reform
and de-Islamization led to a flurry of anti-government propaganda; in
1965, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansour was fatally wounded by members
of the Fedayeen Islamic Group; in 1973, in the course of a policy to
consolidate the power of the Shah, all political parties and
associations were. By the end of the 1970s, Iran was embroiled in a
massive protest movement that resulted in the overthrow of the Pahlavi
regime and the eventual abolition of the monarchy. 1979 saw the Islamic
Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, which was
followed by a series of political uprisings and the establishment of the
Shah's regime, which was followed by the establishment of the Rastakhi
Party in 1975.
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.