Iran

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**Iran**, also known as **Persia**, officially the **Islamic Republic of Iran**, is a country in Western Asia. It has over 91 million inhabitants, and a land area of 1,661,195 km2 , making it the largest country in the Middle East.

Iran is bordered to the northwest by Eurasian Union, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by East Turkey, Kurdistan and Mashriq.

The country's central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance. Tehran is the country's capital and largest city, as well as its leading economic and cultural centre.

The sovereign state of Iran is a founding member of the Axis of Resistance - which it leads, United Nations, ECO, NAM, OIC, and OPEC. Iran is also a key member of the Shanghai Pact. It is a major regional and middle power, and its large reserves of fossil fuels – which include the world's largest natural gas supply and the second-largest proven oil reserves – exert considerable influence in international energy security and the world economy.

## History

### Role in the Fourth Gulf War

The backing of Shia rebels in Qatif by Iran, and their subsequent guerilla campaigns against Saudi Arabia is often cited as the main cause of the fourth Gulf War. With the Saudi retaliatory invasion of Iraq, Iran would propose the Axis of Resistance, a formal intergovernmental military alliance between itself, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, as well as several non governmental groups such as Hezbollah.

### 2031 Power Struggle and Subsequent Reforms

After the most likely natural death of the previous leader Ali Khamenei on the 9th June 2031, there was a brief power struggle in Iran between the more moderate reformists lead by the incumbent president Hassan Rouhani and hardline Islamists, lead by Alireza Zakani.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, leader of the Intelligence Agency and secret police at the time, with the support of many elements of the Military as well as from China and the Eurasia, launched a Coup in July to seize power.

In the following weeks, Ahmadinejad would side with the Moderates, purging many of the remaining elements of Iran’s older generation of hardline Islamists. Hassan Rouhani would remain president until his retirement from politics in 2033.

Ahmadinejad would drastically restructure many of Iran’s political institutions. For example the role of the Supreme Leader would be reformed into a more modern political leader with the establishment of a new position of Ayatullah to take over the Supreme Leaders religious duties. No longer was the Supreme Leader’s power and popular support derived from God, but instead from Ahmadinejad‘s cult of personality and numerous successful economic reforms.

## Politics

The Leader of the Revolution ("Supreme Leader") is responsible for delineation and supervision of the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while president is more of a ceremonial role.

The current Supreme Leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been issuing decrees and making the final decisions on the economy, environment, foreign policy, education, national plannings, and everything else in the country since his ascension to the post.