Iran

=Iran =

=__The Essential Guide to the Nation__=


 * Capital:** Tehran
 * Official Name:** Islamic Republic of Iran
 * Population:** 65,397,521
 * Geographic Orientation:** (1,648,000 km) Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
 * Official Languages:** Persian or Farsi
 * Religion:** Shi'i Islam
 * Neighbouring Nations:** Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia
 * Type of Government :** Theoratic Republic
 * Literacy Rate:** 77%
 * Races/Cultures:** Persian Takes about 50%, Azeri approxiamately 25%, Gilaki & Mazandarani, Kurd, Arab, Luk, Balock and Turkmen makes up the other 25% at 8%, 7%, 3% 2%, 2% and 2% respectively
 * Type of Economy:** (Inefficient) State Sector
 * Cultures of People:** Persian, Turkic
 * Natural Resources:** Petroleum, Natural gas, Coal, Chromium, Copper, Iron ore, Lead, Manganese, Zinc, Sulfur
 * Major Exports:** Petroleum 80%, Chemical and Petrochemical products, Fruits and nuts, Carpets
 * Major Imports:** Industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
 * Export Trading Partners:** (as of 2007) China 15%, Japan 14.3%, Turkey 7.4%, South Korea 7.3%, Italy 6.4%
 * Import Trading Partners:** (as of 2007) China 14.2%, Germany 9.6%, UAE 9.1%, South Korea 6.3%, Russia 5.7%, Italy 5%



=__Important Dates & TimeLine in the 20th Century__= = =
 * Although Iran was neautral durign the WWI, it was still the site of several major battles between the British & Russian Allies and the Turks over its precious oil fields. But in 1919 Iran signed an agreement whereby Britain was to exercise controlling influence in Iranian Affaris, but that did not work out because the Majlis refused to put it to action. Two years later, the English began to withdraw their forces from Iran. In the Same year, Reza Shah Pahlavi, commander of an Iranian Army, established a new independent government (declaring himself as the minister of way). He became the prime minister in 1923.
 * Iranian women used to wear Veils when they go outside every time, it was a trandition that "was not to be broken". But in Early 1936, the Shah's wife and daughters appeared in public without viels, "violating"" an ancient national tradition. Thereafter, most Iranian women gradually stopped wearing their viels. In the same year, Iran signed a treaty of friendship and nonagression with Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan.
 * When WWII started, Turkey, Germany, USSR, and Great Britain attempted to form alliances with Iran, but non were successful. However, in 1941, both Britian and the USSR occupied areas of Iran to protect the oil fields from Germany. As a result, all Axis nationals were expelled, all Axis consulates and legations were closed, and the Allies took control of all Iranian communication facilities.
 * The Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi, who had been friendly to Axis Interests, was abdicated and was succeeded by his son - Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who adopted a pro-allied policy and made the parliament Liberal. In Jan, 1942. Iran, Britian and the USSR signed a treaty guaranteeing their respect for Iranian terrtorial integrity and military aid to fulfill this pledge. They also agreed to withdraw theier occupation forces and provide economic assistance.
 * Iran signed the UN charter at San Francisco on June 26 (1945), and it became one of the original members of that organization. In late 1946, the USSr began to press for action on the Soviet-Iranian oil companies in Iran, but Iran, with The US' aid, announced its rejection of the Soviet oil plan and the establishment of a 5-yera oil program on October 1947. After that, The U.S. made a $26 million loan to Iran for the purchase and repair of surplus American army equipment (July 29, 1948)
 * Severe economic difficulties developed during the first half of 1950, causing several political crises. In June General Ali Razmara accepted the premiership. A vigorous executive, he succeeded in improving the economic situation. He strongly opposed nationalization of the oil industry, however, and on March 7, 1951, he was assassinated by a nationalist fanatic.
 * Within a week of Razmara's assassination the Majlis passed a bill nationalizing the oil industry; however, the new prime minister, Hasain Ala, made no attempt to take over the property of the British company. As a result his government fell on April 27. He was succeeded by Muhammad Mossadegh, a leader of a coalition of nationalist groups called the National Front and a supporter of oil nationalization, and on April 29 a law evicting the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was approved by parliament.
 * On October 3, 1951, Great Britain, deciding against the use of force, acceded to an Iranian ultimatum and withdrew the company's technical staff from the Abadan refinery. Later in the month, when Great Britain brought the dispute before the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Mossadegh flew to New York City to present the case for Iran.
 * On August 30, 1952, Iran turned down a joint Anglo-American proposal designed to break the oil deadlock. In the proposal Great Britain for the first time accepted the Iranian nationalization law as valid, but still insisted that compensation be based on potential revenue losses as well as on physical assets of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Iran broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain on October 22
 * Early in 1953 the parliament extended Mossadegh's dictatorial powers for another year. The prime minister demanded that the shah be stripped of power
 * The Iranian electorate went to the polls in March 1954 to elect a new lower house of parliament. During the voting, which reportedly was attended by widespread fraud, government supporters assaulted hundreds of alleged Communists and opponents of the Zahedi regime near polling places in Tehran.

=__The Nation at Present__= = = The current leader of Iran is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he became the President of Iran on Aug 6, 2005 after winning the 2005 Elections (20% votes in the first round and 62% vote sin the second round). He is the first president of this country that is not a religious cleric. Ahmadinejad has been a critic of the US and Isreal, and stregths Iran's relations with Russia and Syria. He is a man that believes in violence and military power, himself "believes" that Iran's Nuclear project is merely "for peaceful purposes". There are several current issue of Iran right now in 2009. First of all, with domestic consumptions on the rise, Iran is struggling to maintain its current level of oil production, as a result, soon (in merely a decade), all exports could dry up and leaving Iran with no oil. Secondly, the government cannot do anything about the resources that are currently running out, (at current production 2.5m barrels would have been taking out of the market EACH DAY) because they're in such a fragile position themselves. Lastly, As Iran struggles to keep their production up very hard because they would have to invest enough into their infrastructure, so no foreign business would want to do business with Iran because the foreign companies just do not see any possible profits out of Iran. Therefore the growth of this country would be greatly limited. Iran is currently allied to Iraq, China, Afghasnistan, Britian and Pakistan Unfortunately, the image that Iran shows as a country internatoinally is not very pretty, their reputations assembles war, Nuclear weapons, and poverty.