Country Profile

Tags: Civil Society in West Asia

Iran is situated in the Middle East and borders Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. In 1906 the Constitutional Revolution transformed the Iranian absolutist monarchy of the Qajar dynasty to a constitutional monarchy. This was opposed by Russia and after a while they returned kingdom to absolutism by setting artillery fire against the Parliament (majles) and killing the key figures of the constitutional movement. Reza Shah took power after the British led coup by Seyyed Zia Tabatabai, and established the Pahlavi dynasty. His son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi succeeded the throne.

He fled the country first when the national government of Mohammad Mosaddeq took power at the beginning of the fifties and nationalised the industry which was totally under the monopoly of the British Petroleum. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi returned to the country only after the nationalist government of Mohammad Mosaddeq toppled in 1953 as a result of a coup jointly planned and carried out by the MI6 and the CIA. Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown through an overwhelming popular revolution and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled the country some months before the monarchy was toppled. Revolutionary forces established a republican-theocratic system, which later on transformed gradually to a clerical rule with ultimate political authority vested in a learned religious scholar referred to commonly as the Supreme Leader who, according to the constitution, is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts - a popularly elected 86-member body of clerics.

Following the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad Khatami as president in 1997 and a reformist Majles (parliament) in 2000, a campaign to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated. The movement struggled as conservative politicians, through the control of unelected institutions, prevented reform measures from being enacted and increased repressive measures. Starting with nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and continuing through Majles elections in 2004, conservatives reestablished control over Iran's elected government institutions, which culminated with the August 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinejad as president. In the course of 2004 the Reformists in Iran lost space, when the conservative forces recaptured a stronger grip on the Parliament (the Majlis). In August 2005 this was followed by the election of Ahmadinejad as president of the Iranian Islamic Republic. This removal of reformists from the political arena and the tighter grip on politics by conservative forces had noticeable repercussions for civil society and civil society activists. Ahmadinejad was reelected in 2009. A significant part of the Iranians thought the elections were rigged and for some months protests occurred. The crises caused by the election have not yet been settled and are spilling over various strata of the society, as well as political figures and bodies inside the ruling camp.

Iran’s population counts over 74.2 million (UN, 2009). About two thirds of the people are under 30 years of age. Iran is made up of Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%), Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmens (2%), Laks, Qashqai, Armenians, Persian Jews, Georgians, Assyrians, Circassians, Tats, Mandaeans, Gypsies, Brahuis, Hazara, Kazakhs and others (1%). Almost nine in 10 Iranians belong to the Twelver Shi'a branch of Islam. Eight percent are Sunni.

The country is second in the world in natural gas and oil reserves. It is OPEC’s second largest oil exporter. Iran possesses nearly a 10th of the world's oil, yet fuel is rationed. Inflation is at unprecedented levels, and there is disenchantment with government spending policies which are largely seen as populist and which the country cannot afford.

Iran's economy is marked by an inefficient state sector, reliance on the oil sector, which provides the majority of government revenues, and statist policies, which create major distortions throughout the system. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Price controls, subsidies, and other rigidities weigh down the economy, undermining the potential for private-sector-led growth.

This information is based on information from:

CIA - World Factbook: click here

BBC Middle East: click here

Panasianbiz:click here

Source Syria Map: CIA - The World Factbook