View source for Islamic Republic of Iran

{{Infobox country|name=Islamic Republic of Iran|native_name=جمهوری اسلامی ایران|largest_city=Tehran|image_coat=Emblem of Iran.svg|capital=Tehran|mode_of_production=[[State capitalism]]|government_type=Capitalist presidential republic|leader_title1=Leader<ref>{{Web citation|url=https://en.mfa.ir/portal/viewpage/3996|author=Islamic Republic of Iran|title=General View of Iran}}</ref>|leader_title2=President|established_date1=1979 Feb 12th|population_estimate_year=2017|population_estimate=79,926,270|religion=Islam|official_languages=Persian|national_motto=Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic|image_map=Iran map.svg|map_width=290|leader_name2=Dr. Hassan Rohani|established_event1=[[Iranian revolution]]|leader_name4=Mohammad Ghalibaf|leader_name3=Eshaq Jahangiri|leader_title4=Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly|leader_title3=Vice President|leader_name1=Great Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei|currency=Iranian Rial|area_km2=1,648,195|image_flag=Flag of Iran.svg}}
The '''Islamic Republic of Iran''', also called '''Persia'''<ref name="Fishman">{{Citation|author=Joshua A. Fishman|year=2010|title=Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives (Volume 1)|page=266|isbn=978-0-19-537492-6|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote="Iran" and "Persia" are synonymous. The former has always been used by the Iranian speaking peoples themselves, while the latter has served as the international name of the country in various languages}}</ref> and '''Iran''', is a country in Western Asia. It is the second-largest country in the [[Middle East]], and its capital and largest city is [[Tehran]]. The modern government of Iran is an [[Islamic republic]] that includes elements of a [[Presidential system|presidential democracy]], which was installed by a [[Iranian Revolution|popular revolution]] against the [[United States of America|USA]]-backed monarchy of the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]].

Iran is a frequent target of US and NATO aggression, which is justified through fearmongering over the prospect of Iran starting a nuclear war, despite them having no motive to do so. The acts of aggression perpetrated by NATO include the use of sanctions to restrict access to essentials such as medicine, which harms the entire population. Because of this, Iran often forms strategic alliances with other anti-NATO forces, including Russia, Syria, Hezbollah and some Marxist-Leninist organisations such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). However, it should be noted that the Iranian state is capitalist and therefore actively suppresses Marxist ideology within Iran itself.

Iran's geography makes it geo-strategically important for the modern global oil markets, as it is the northern coast of the Straight of Hormuz which is a maritime chokepoint through which a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and a quarter of global oil trade passes through.

Iran's economy is dominated by state-owned enterprises, which make up 60% of the total GDP. 

A unique feature of Iran's economy is the presence of large religious foundations called Bonyad, whose combined budgets represent more than 30 percent of central government spending.<ref name="GSO">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/mjf.htm Bonyad-e Mostazafan va Janbazan Oppressed and Disabled Veterans Foundation (MJF)]. Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved February 6, 2011.</ref>

Historically, Iran has had ties with the Black liberation movement and the [[Nation of Islam]].<ref>[https://historicly.substack.com/p/the-nation-of-islamic-republic-of?justPublished=true The Nation of Islamic Republic of Iran with Setareh Sadeqi] on Historic.ly podcast by Esha  Krishnaswamy and Robert Grannies  - Aug 22</ref>

==History==

=== Early history ===
Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations,<ref>{{Citation|author=Christopher Whatley|year=2001|title=Bought and Sold for English Gold: The Union of 1707|publisher=Tuckwell Press}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=Lowell Barrington|year=2012|title=Comparative Politics: Structures and Choices, 2nd ed.tr: Structures and Choices|page=121|title-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLLuWYL8gTsC&pg=PA121|isbn=978-1-111-34193-0|publisher=Cengage Learning}}</ref> beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BCE.

=== Pahlavi monarchy ===
In 1953, the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] overthrew democratically elected prime minister [[Mohammad Mossaddegh]] after he threatened to nationalize the oil industry, which would decrease profits for British companies.<ref>{{Citation|author=Scott A. Koch|year=1998|title=THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY AND THE FALL OF IRANIAN PRIME MINISTER MOHAMMED MOSSADEQ, AUGUST 1953|chapter=|section=|page=|quote=|pdf=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB126/iran980600.pdf|city=Washington, DC|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|isbn=|doi=|lg=|mia=|title-url=|chapter-url=|trans-title=|trans-lang=}}</ref> After the coup, Mossaddegh was replaced by the autocrat Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

=== Islamic Republic ===
After the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Bonyads were nationalized and renamed with the declared intention of redistributing income to the poor and families of martyrs.<ref>https://www.mei.edu/publications/iranian-para-governmental-organizations-bonyads</ref>

In January 2020, the United States assassinated  General [[Qasem Soleimani]] with a drone strike.<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Tom O'Connor, James Laporta|date=2020-01-02|title=Iraq Militia Officials, Iran's Quds Force Head Killed in U.S. Drone Strike|url=https://www.newsweek.com/iraq-militia-official-killed-us-iran-tensions-1480181|newspaper=Newsweek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103030530/https://www.newsweek.com/iraq-militia-official-killed-us-iran-tensions-1480181|archive-date=2020-01-03|retrieved=2022-01-03}}</ref>

In June 2022, Iran signed a bilateral trade agreement with the [[Donetsk People's Republic]] at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[TeleSur]]|title=Iran and Donetsk Sign Agreement To Strengthen Trade Relations|date=2022-06-18|url=https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-and-Donetsk-Sign-Agreement-To-Strengthen-Trade-Relations-20220618-0007.html}}</ref> Iran also signed a cooperation plan with [[Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela|Venezuela]] and Supreme Leader [[Ali Khamenei]] said that Iran and Venezuela "have closer ties with each other than any other country."<ref>{{News citation|author=[[Benjamin Norton]]|newspaper=[[Multipolarista]]|title=Venezuela and Iran sign 20-year cooperation plan, Maduro pledges joint ‘anti-imperialist struggle’|date=2022-06-11|url=https://multipolarista.com/2022/06/11/venezuela-iran-20-year-agreement/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624234526/https://multipolarista.com/2022/06/11/venezuela-iran-20-year-agreement/|archive-date=2022-06-24|retrieved=2022-06-28}}</ref>

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Members of the Non-Aligned Movement]]
[[Category:Targets of regime change operations]]
[[Category:Countries targeted by imperialist aggression]]
[[Category:Global south]]
[[Category:Asian countries]]
[[Category:Countries targeted by CIA coups]]