Claim: Iran is a major middle power and it is a country.
Evidence: Iran is a major regional and middle power , and its large reserves of fossil fuels -- which include the largest natural gas supply in the world and the fourth-largest proven oil reserves -- exert considerable influence in international energy security and the world economy.
Iran -LRB- ɪ , also ɪ -RRB- , formerly known as Persia , is a sovereign state in Western Asia.