Ultima Ratio/Iran/Strategic Overview

Faction Overview	Strategic Overview
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===Strengths===
*Strong early-game cavalry and infantry, with enhanced anti-attritional ability.
*Food production bonus that grows in proportion with your empire
===Weaknesses===
*Technologically backward infantry
*Heavy reliance on unique units and the fluctuability of food production result in a lack of flexibility in unit choices.
*Mediocre early-game fleet.
The Iranian faction of Ultima Ratio is one which prides itself on its cavalry component, representing the late Afshari/Early Qajari army of actual history, with its power based on all manner of cavalry units, ranging from cheaper and weaker Steppe Nomads, all the way to armoured Shahsevan cuirassiers and Afghan Light Horse. What cavalry units the Iranians raise all tend to go for one thing: speed and mobility. Hence, the Iranian way of war is one where you use your weaker but more numerous horse armies to destroy targets best suited for them - musketeers, artillery, and weak units.
That said, one unit must be mentioned, and that is the Zamburakchi or camel gunner. It is slower than most ranged cavalry units, but is resistant to melee cavalry and can be used as a form of light artillery, either to destroy buildings more efficiently, or to scatter infantry ahead of a cavalry charge. However, like many other non-Western factions the Iranian army is deficient on good infantry, preferring instead to rely on good old-fashioned cannonades to break up enemy formations, leaving cavalry to mop up the survivors. Equally problematic is the fact that at sea, the only warships built by this faction are Xebecs, making them somewhat vulnerable to other factions like China or India.
So if you are playing against Iran, always remember to bring as much infantry with long range weapons, along with Fusiliers to defend against enemy cavalry attacks. The key to defeating Iran is tp lay up the pressure by going for Iran's cities rather than its armies, which should be dealt with using Fusiliers backed up by Musketeers and your own ranged cavalry to intercept enemy Zamburakchiyan.
All told, however, Iran is still a very robust faction that ought to be used for fast and furious gameplay.