What is Iran?

  • (noun): A theocratic islamic republic in the Middle East in western Asia; Iran was the core of the ancient empire that was known as Persia until 1935; rich in oil; involved in state-sponsored terrorism.
    Synonyms: Islamic Republic of Iran, Persia

Iran

Iran (i/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/; Persian: ایران‎ ), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران‎, Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in native use since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.

Read more about Iran.

Some articles on Iran:

Ismail I
... Persian شاه اسماعیل‎ full name Abū l-Muzaffar bin Haydar as-Safavī), was a Shah of Iran (1502) and the founder of the Safavid dynasty ... as the leader of the Safaviyya, an Twelver Shia militant religious order and unified all of Iran by 1509 ... Born in Ardabil in Northwestern Iran, he reigned as Shah Ismail I of Iran from 1502 to 1524 ...
Gilan Province - People and Culture
... ranking amongst the most important commercial centers in Iran ... Although Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 211 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province, the main tourist attraction in ... several dishes have come to be adopted across Iran ...
Ze'ev Maghen - Iran
... He avers that the Iranian hatred of Israel is analogous to the "two-minutes hate" in George Orwell’s 1984 ... It is the persistent indoctrination, described by Maghen as "imbibed with mother’s milk and drummed by rote into the consciousnesses of the Iranian citizenry." This is what makes it precisely so dangerous, suggests Maghen, because intense anger and hatred are all-consuming emotions that "subside quickly if the psyche is not to combust and collapse." At the same time these intense emotions are unsustainable ...
Iran - Demographics - Religion
... Main article Religion in Iran Iran religiosity Religion Percent Islam   98% Other   2% Religion in Iran is dominated by the Twelver Shia branch of Islam, which is the official state religion and to ... About 4% to 8% of Iranians belong to the Sunni branch of Islam, mainly Kurds and Iran's Balochi Sunni ... However the Bahá'í Faith, Iran's largest religious minority, is not officially recognized, and has been persecuted during its existence in Iran ...
Hard Power - Examples
... to define some policy measures in regards to Iran as well ... For instance, there are many sanctions against Iran passed by UN Security Council and numerous nations such as the United States and European Union also impose bilateral sanctions ... on exports of nuclear and missile to Iran, banking and insurance transactions, investment in oil, exports of refined petroleum products, and so on ...

Famous quotes containing the word iran:

    During my administration the most unpleasant and perhaps most dramatic negotiations in which we participated were with the various leaders of Iran after the seizure of American hostages in November 1979. The Algerians were finally chosen as the only intermediaries who were considered trustworthy both by me and the Ayatollah Khomeini. After many aborted efforts, final success was achieved during my last few hours in the White House.
    Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)