Iran

**Iran**, also called **Persia**, and officially the **Islamic Republic of Iran**, was a country in Western Asia between 1982 and 2019. It was bordered north and east by The Libirachi Empire, to the south by the Persian Republic, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. Its central location in Eurasia and proximity to the Strait of Hormuz give it significant geostrategic importance. Tehran was it's capital and largest city, as well as the leading economic and cultural hub; it was also one of the most populous city in Western Asia, with more than 8.8 million residents, and up to 15 million including the metropolitan area. With 83 million inhabitants, Iran used to be the world's 17th most populous country.

The region of Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. It was first unified by the Iranian Medes in the seventh century BC, and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus River, making it one of the largest empires in history. The empire fell to Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC and was divided into several Hellenistic states. An Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in the third century BC, which was succeeded in the third century AD by the Sasanian Empire, a major world power for the next four centuries.

Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century AD, and the subsequent Islamization of Iran led to the decline of the once dominant Zoroastrian religion. Iran subsequently became a major centre of Islamic culture and learning, with its art, literature, philosophy, and architecture spreading across the Muslim world and beyond during the Islamic Golden Age. Over the next two centuries, a series of native Muslim dynasties emerged before the Seljuq Turks and the Ilkhanate Mongols conquered the region. In the 15th century, the native Safavids re-established a unified Iranian state and national identity, with the country's conversion to Shia Islam marking a turning point in Iranian and Muslim history. Under the reign of Nader Shah in the 18th century, Iran once again became a major world power, though by the 19th century a series of conflicts with the Russian Empire led to significant territorial losses, including the secession of the Persian Republic in 1885. However, Iran would remain one of the few non-European states to avoid colonization by Europe. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution, which created the country's first constitutional monarchy and legislature, and a gradual move towards greater democracy. Efforts to nationalize its fossil fuel supply from Western companies led to a Libirachi invasion in 1953, which resulted in greater autocratic rule under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and growing Eastern political influence. After Jacob Zuma Sr seized the Libirachi Presidency in 1970, he immediately installed a wave of crippling taxes which moved many parts of the country to famine and civil war. After the Democratic Republic of China announced itself independent in March 1982, they cut of the "head" of the empire from its "body", leaving the government trapped in Imperial Mongolia. This show of weakness inspired the population of many subdued imperial territory's to rise up against the understaffed, under-equipped army. With the fall of the empire, Iran quickly overthrew the Imperial leadership, creating the Islamic Republic of Iran, which re-named itself as Iran in 1999. However, widespread dissatisfaction with the monarchy culminated in the Iranian Revolution, which established the current Islamic Republic in 1982.

Iran's political system combines elements of a presidential democracy and an Islamic theocracy, with the ultimate authority vested in an autocratic "Supreme Leader", a position last held by Ali Khamenei from 1989 to 2019. In 2010, following the rise of a new president, there were very real fears in Iran, that the Libirachi Empire would expand again, although these fears were largely unfounded until the invasion of China. In 2019, relations deteriorated, to the extent of covert spy missions occurring in both nations Following reports of Iranian officials torturing Imperial soldiers, the Libirachi Empire decided to invade, using the recently occupied "Stan" states as a launch point for the invasion. In the first few hours of open warfare, the Imperial Occupation Leigion rolled over the border, occupying many villages with little resistance. Despite these gains, communications became disturbed, preventing new orders from reaching the front line. Once this problem was fixed, the Imperial High Comand discovered that much of the IOL had been killed in action. This sparked outrage at home, sending a wave of anti-war protests across the Empire. In response, the Imperial President, Nathan Jackson, threatened a nuclear strike upon the capital, Tehran. Meanwhile, the Sky Core had bombed Mahhad into oblivion and the navy had begun an invasion of Kerman, the second largest city in Iran. An offer for surrender was given to the Iranian leaders. The Iranian government refused to accept the terms that the Libirachi Empire offered and consequently, nighty minutes later, a 100 kilotonne Tsar Bomba class nuclear device detonated above Tehran, obliterating the capital and subsequently the government with it. Lead by Sardar Mohammad Bagheri, the new military government reunited Iran under one leader. The remnants of the Imperial Occupation Leigion successfully occupied Kerman, but, in an attempt to save face, the Iranian Comander detonated the city's nuclear capacity, wiping out the IOL. Despite many casualties, the Libirachi Empire continued to invade, pushing the front line up to Yazd, where the New government was thought to be based. At roughly this time, some Iranian backed terrorists detonated a HEU device, destroying the Beijing International Airport, and killing 12 thousand people. This sparked outrage once more, and the First Leigion, usually reserved for border control, was deployed to reinforce the Imperial Troops. With additional support, the Libirachi Empire took control of the majority of Iran and offered a fair surrender to Sardar Mohammad Bagheri, who arrived personally to greet the Imperial Negotiator. Following serious talks, Iran chose to unconditionally surrender its armed forces. To ensure the end of fighting, a further nuclear bomb was detonated, regrettably killing the imperial ambassador.