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Azarbaijan Press News : Known as Persia until 1935, Iran started its progressive nationalism march  under the leadership of King Reza Pahlavi, who was a patriotic military officer who put an end to the 200 years of corrupt, incompetent, opium addicted Ghajar dictator monarchs and established the Pahlavi monarchy. Having had full knowledge of the fact that fanatic, primitive and mostly corrupt Muslim clergy commonly known as ‘Mullahs' were the greatest enemy and obstacle to Iran's progress, modernization and civilization, the new King Reza,
outlawed Mullah's interference in politics, liberated the Iranian women by passing decrees allowing them to rid themselves of the ancient forced black veil, and oppressive rules that retarded their growth to receive education and achieve progress. Under the short 17 years leadership of King Reza Pahlavi, Iran made enormous progress in number of fields such as building national railroad system, connecting the whole country together, modern judicial system based on Franco/British jurisprudence, established national Universities, ports, and shipping line, along with modern army, air force and naval bases in Persian Gulf.
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In 1941 King Reza was accused of collaborating with Hitler's Germany in his war against communist Russia and following an allied occupation of Iran, he was forced to abdicate power to his son, Crown Prince, King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
At the end of second world war, north east of Iran fell under the communist occupation which lasted three years and finally communist Russia was forced out of the country and Iran, under the authoritarian monarch, started its march towards economic progress, industrialization, modernization and democracy. Parliamentarians and nationalist leaders such as Dr Mosadeq were demanding reform and establishment of a constitutional monarchy based on the 1901 Constitution versus authoritarian monarchy and the first political party, National Front was formed and parliamentary elections held. In the pursuing years, Dr Mosadeq was popularly elected Prime Minister, and to put an end to the looting of the nation’s oil by the Anglo-Iranian oil company, the parliament unanimously voted to nationalize the oil industry and took full control of the national Iranian oil company. This triggered the animosity of the British government and following a campaign of character assassination, he was accused of being a leftist even though he was amongst the oldest aristocratic and conservative families and subsequently in the famous 1953 coup organized by the British MI6 and the American’s CIA, under president Truman, the popularly elected leader was overthrown and the authoritarian King was given the authoritarian powers so that the major American and British oil companies could sign the one sided oil contact of 1954 by which the oil companies will keep the lion’s share of the profits and leaving Iran with less than 10% of the proceeds. This 25 years contract was imposed upon Iran by the Anglo-American powers and thus retarded Iran’s ability to make serious socio-economic progress.
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Trafficking in persons:
As the result of this incompetent, corrupt and despotic ( anti-Iranian ) regime, Iran has become the source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to settle debts; Iranian and Afghan children living in Iran are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced marriages, commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income or support drug addiction of their families; press reports indicate that regime connected criminal organizations play a significant role in human trafficking to and from Iran, in connection with smuggling of migrants, drugs, and arms tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports indicate that Iranian authorities' response is not nearly sufficient to penalize offenders, protect victims, and eliminate trafficking; some aspects of Iranian law and policy hinder efforts to combat trafficking including punishment of victims and legal obstacles to punishing offenders; Iran has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2009) BUT TO SATISFY THE CRITICS, THEY EXECUTE POLITICAL OPPONENTS UNDER THE DISGUISE OF WAR DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
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In the mean time, King Mohammad Reza, a true patriot, worked hard for 37 years to develop Iran’s national education, Health, industries, land reform, national defense through his famous White Revolution program against all the oppositions by the underground communists instigated by communist Russia, and the ever present Mullahs, the biggest land owners, who were always against Iran’s progress, modernization and secular political system. Against all odds, by 1975, Iran was the most modern and advanced country in West Asia and was preparing for a major economic breakthrough, since the 25 years old one sided oil contracts were coming to an end in 1979 and the government of Iran was refusing to sign a similar one sided contract with the oil majors again and this was the main reason that Jimmy Carter in partnership with the British government at the service of oil giants like Exxon, Mobile secretly engineered the so called Islamic revolution and the rest is history. Since the take over the government of Iran by the secretive Mullahs at the service of the Anglo-American oil companies, nobody in Iran knows accurately, how much oil is produced, how much is exported and at what price and to which company or country. The theological dictatorship installed in 1979 have taken Iran back to middle ages, imposed draconian laws, and have successfully placed Iran on the top of the list of terrorist, drug dealing, human trafficking and poorest countries in the world.
The unusual form of government, the so called Islamic republic, which is neither Islamic nor republic, in 1979 was forced upon the people through deception and violence were a theocratic dictatorship system retain ultimate political authority vested in the hands of un-elected Mullah, referred to commonly as the Supreme ( DICTATOR ) who, according to the constitution, is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts – another un-elected 86-member body of other Mullahs whom are sharing the loot. US-Iranian relations have been seriously damaged since a group of Iranian thugs and criminals posed as students, seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981
Once the revolution was hijacked, the Mullahs were advised to start a war with Iraq to divert the national attention of the catastrophe that had hit them and use the same war to engineer the killing of the millions of young generation who remembered the golden days of the Pahlavi monarchy. During 1980-88, the innocent victims of Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987 and 1988.
Under the Mullah’s dictatorial regime Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and many places in the world and remains subject to US, UN, and EU economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement in terrorism and now its nuclear weapons ambitions. Following the election of so called reformer KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist (Parliament) in 2000, a campaign to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated. Of course, this was one of many fraudulent schemes to deceive the masses and once they identified the active leaders and freedom fighters, the movement floundered as Mullah’s regime, through the control of unelected institutions, prevented reform measures from being enacted and increased repressive measures. Starting with comical nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and continuing through Parliamentary SHOW elections in 2004, Mullahs have established dictatorial control over Iran's government institutions, and deceiving the masses once again by completely disregarding the free voters and installing a ‘yes man’ as president. This blatant election fraud by the Mullahs in June 2009 sparked a nationwide protests over the electoral fraud and demand to end this ugly dictatorship which have set the stage for the next revolution with intent of complete abolition of the despotic Mullahs regime and establishment of a Secular Liberal Democratic form of government with guaranteed freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion, for all Iranians in a multi party political system, free market economy, federal constitution, with a government truly elected by the people in a free, open and fair elections.
The Mullahs despotic regime, have truly been the source of national shame for the proud and civilized people of Iran. In the last 32 years they have destroyed the long and healthy relationship between Iran and most of the countries in the world in general and with the U.S, and UK and the European Union in particular. While 28% of our people are now under poverty line, the despotic regime is spending billions to secretly develop nuclear bomb, and why? so they could black-mail the world into accepting their illegitimate and criminal regime. While there is over 38% unemployment and underemployment in Iran, the sons and daughters of the Ayatollahs are siphoning billions of dollars of stolen money from the secret oil, gas and other deals to Swiss banks and live extravagant lives in Europe and USA. While they are holding thousands of political prisoners in horrific dungeons, executing scores of innocent political activists and holding the whole nation hostage at the gun point, they have the audacity to criticize Bahrain, or express camaraderie with Egyptian freedom fighters, or express support for Palestinians, not realizing that Iran’s version of a regime is a nightmare for all the people seeking freedom and democracy.
Despite the fact that the UN Security Council has passed a number of resolutions (1696 in July 2006, 1737 in December 2006, 1747 in March 2007, 1803 in March 2008, and 1835 in September 2008) calling for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities and comply with its IAEA obligations and responsibilities. Resolutions 1737, 1477, and 1803 subject a number of Iranian individuals and entities involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs to sanctions. Additionally, several Iranian entities are subject to US sanctions under Executive Order 13382 designations for proliferation activities and EO 13224 designations for support of terrorism, they continue to violate every principle of responsible governance and are moving Iran towards a devastating military confrontation with the U.S. and EU, and even neighboring countries and the international community with the risk of Iran’s total destruction. The governments and business entities of the free world are urged to stop doing business as usual with this ugly, despotic and corrupt regime of the Mullahs in Iran and get on the good side of the future free and liberal democratic nation of Iran.
Iran’s Population
77,891,220 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.1% (male 9,608,342/female 9,128,427)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 28,083,193/female 27,170,445)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,844,967/female 2,055,846)
(2011 est.)
Median age:
total: 26.8 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 27.1 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.248% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Birth rate:
18.55 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
Death rate:
5.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Net migration rate:
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
Urbanization:
urban population: 71% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major cities - population:
TEHRAN (capital) 12.19 million; Mashhad 2.592 million; Esfahan 1.704 million; Karaj 1.531 million; Tabriz 1.459 million (2009)
Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Total: 42.26 deaths/1,000 live births
Country comparison to the world: 59
Male: 42.75 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 41.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
Total population: 60.06 years
Country comparison to the world: 147
Male: 58.58 years
Female: 61.61 years (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
92,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,400 (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 33
Major infectious diseases:
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vector borne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
Noun: Iranian(s)
Adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups:
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 95% (Shia 80%, Sunni 15%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 5%
Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97%
Male: 93.5%
Female: 90.4% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2009)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2008)
Country comparison to the world: 80
Government :IRAN
Country name:
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
Conventional short form: Iran
Local long form Dictatory-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Local short form: Iran
Former: Persia
Government type:
Theocratic dictatorship
Capital:
Name: Tehran
Geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 25 E
Time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC During Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Monday in March; ends Fourth Wednesday in September
Administrative divisions:
31 States (Ostanha, singular - Ostan); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Pars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
1 April 1979 (Islamic Dictatorship of Iran); notable earlier dates: ca. 625 B.C. (unification of Iran under the Medes); ca. A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavids); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the Pahlavi Monarchy)
National holiday:
Day of Mourning, 1 April (1979)
National Day, 29 Esfand
Constitution:
Parliamentary Constitution1901
Note: Despotic regime since 1979
Legal system:
Based on sharia law dictatorial system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Despotic Ayatollah's Regime is Not respecting 18 years of age; universally accepted.
Executive branch:
Chief of state: Supreme Dictator Leader Ali KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) after Khomaini’s death
Head of government: president, hand-picked by the dictator
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with the approval of the Supreme Dictator
Note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are three UNELECTED oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of so called Experts (Majles-Khebregan) UNELECTED, body charged with determining the succession of the Supreme Dictator, 2) Expediency Council UNELCTED Council for the Discernment of Expediency (Majma-e-Tashkhis-e-Maslahat-e-Nezam) exerts supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians disagree and since 1989 has been used to advise national religious leaders on matters of national policy ( TO STAY IN POWER AT ALL COST ); in 2005 the Council's powers were expanded to act as a supervisory body for the government; 3) UNELECTED Council of Guardians of the Constitution or Council of Guardians or Guardians Council (Shora-ye Negban-e Qanon-e Asassi) determines whether proposed legislation is both constitutional and faithful to Islamic law??, vets candidates IN SHOW elections for suitability, and supervises national SHOW elections
Elections: Supreme DICTATOR appointed for life ?? AND ONLY ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD, by the Assembly of Experts??; president elected in SHOW elections for a four-year term (eligible for a second term and third nonconsecutive term); election last held on 12 June 2009; the president lost by 40% but the Supreme DICTATOR NULIFIED THE RESULTS AND KEPT HIS MAN (next presidential election slated for June 2013) NONE OF THEM WILL BE AROUND BY THEN
Election results published by the despotic regime: They announced that AHMADI-NEJAD was reelected president; 62.6%, MUSAVI 33.8%, others 3.6%; voter turnout 85% (The truth was totally opposite)Even though people knew that Mousavai was just a front by the regime, but to show their hate for the Dictator they voted for him.
Legislative branch:
Unicameral ( single chamber ) un elected Islamic dictatorship Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected in SHOW elections because all the candidates are selected by the Dictator based on loyalty to the DICTATOR only to serve four-year terms) NO INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ARE ALLOWED TO RUN.
SHOW elections: last held on 14 March 2008 with a runoff held on 25 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by regime"s 'yes men'- conservatives/Islamists 167, reformers 39, independents 74, religious minorities 5, other 5. All are selected candidates with loyalty to the DICTATOR ONLY. THEY ARE ALL PARTNERS IN THE LOOT.
Judicial branch: TOTALLY CORRUPT
The JUDICIAL BRANCH (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping responsibilities; together they supervise the enforcement of all laws and establish judicial and legal policies; DESIGNED TO KEEP THEM IN POWER. lower courts include a special clerical court, a revolutionary court,TO EXECUTE FREEDOM FIGHTERS and a special administrative court TO IMPRISON FREEDOM FIGHTERS, CONFISCATE THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTIES.
SHOW Political parties and leaders:
Formal political parties have not been allowed by the DICTATORSHIP in the last 32 years and Mullahs prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; then SHOW political parties or coalitions are formed prior to the SHOW elections and disbanded soon thereafter; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal groups and organizations, achieved considerable success in SHOW elections for the sixth Parliament in early 2000; groups in the coalition included the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General and sixth Majles Speaker Mehdi KARUBI formed the National Trust Party; a new conservative group, Islamic Iran Developers Coalition (Abadgaran), took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004 SHOW elections; following the 2004 Majles SHOW elections, traditional and hardline conservatives have attempted to close ranks under the United Front of Principalists and the Broad Popular Coalition of Principalists; several reformist groups, such as the Mujahadin of the Islamic Revolution, came together as a reformist coalition in advance of the 2008 Majles elections; the IIPF has repeatedly complained that the overwhelming majority of its candidates have been unfairly disqualified from the 2008 elections.
ALL THE ABOVE SO CALLED GROUPS AND PARTIES ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE SAME 300 CORE GROUP WHOM ARE IN IT TOGETHER AND ARE DOING ALL THIS TO CONTINUE TO DECEIVE THE MASSES MAKING THEM THINK THAT THERE ARE ELECTIONS. THE REAL FIGHT IS NOT OVER BRINGING FREEDOM, PROSPERITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH TO IRANIAN PEOPLE BUT IT’S A FIGHT AMONGST THEMSELVES OVER THE LOOT.
Political SHOW groups and leaders:
Groups that generally support the Islamic DICTATORSHIP: Ansar-e Hizballah-Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh); Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader; Islamic Engineers Society; Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat); active pro-reform student group: Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU);
Opposition groups WHOM ARE ALL OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY IN EXILE: Baluchistan People's Party (BPP); Freedom Movement of Iran; Green Path movement [Mehdi KARUBI, Mir-Hosein MUSAVI] which people know is just a SHOW to deceive the masses; Marz-e Por Gohar; National Front; and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations;
Arme groups opposition are: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI); Jundallah; Komala; Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO); People's Fedayeen; People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) but sadly they are al leftist and communists.
International organization participation:
IT IS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THAT SO MANY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ARE DOING BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH THE DESPOTIC REGIME AND ALLOWING THEM TO BE A MEMEBR. THEY ARE:
CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, SAARC (observer), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - the US Interests Section is located in the Embassy of Switzerland No. 39 Shahid Mousavi (Golestan 5th), Pasdaran Ave., Tehran, Iran; telephone [98] 21 2254 2178/2256 5273; FAX [98] 21 2258 0432
National anthem:
Name: NO ONE IS SINGING NOR ACCEPTING THE REGIME'S SO CALLED NATIONAL ANTHEM, AND STILL ALL PEOPLE ARE SINGING THE OLD NATIONALIST ANTHEM BOTH PRIVATELY AND PUBLICLY IN ALL ANTI REGIME DEMONSTRATIONS. AAY IRAN"Soroud-e Melli-e AAy Iran (National Anthem of the People )
author:
note: adopted 1935
Economy - overview:
Iran's economy under the dictatorship regime of the Mullahs is marked by an inefficient state sector, with major reliance on the oil sector, which provides the majority of dictatorship government’s revenues, and oppressive policies, which create major distortions throughout the system. It is a Socialist system whereby the dictatorial rulers own and control the entire economy and leave very little to the Private sector activity which is typically limited to small-scale workshops, farming, and services. Price controls, subsidies, and other rigidities weigh down the economy, undermining the potential for private-sector-led growth. As a result a significant black market activity flourishes. The legislature in late 2009 passed a bill to reduce subsidies, particularly on food and energy. The bill would phase out subsidies - which benefit Iran's upper and middle classes the most - over three to five years and replace them with cash payments to Iran's lower classes. However, the start of the program was delayed repeatedly throughout 2010 over fears of public reaction to higher prices. This is the most extensive economic reform since the government implemented gasoline rationing in 2007. The recovery of world oil prices in the last year increased Iran's oil export revenue by at least $10 billion over 2009, easing some of the financial impact of the newest round of international sanctions. Although inflation has fallen substantially since the mid-2000s, Iran continues to suffer from high double-digit unemployment and underemployment. Sadly, the underemployment among Iran's educated youth is causing them to seek jobs overseas, resulting in a significant "brain drain." And a disaster for the nation of Iran.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$863.5 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
$838.3 billion (2009 est.)
$825.9 billion (2008 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$337.9 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 125
1.5% (2009 est.)
2.5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,200 (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 100
$11,000 (2009 est.)
$11,000 (2008 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
Agriculture: 11%
Industry: 45.9%
Services: 43.1% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
25.7 million
Country comparison to the world: 22
Note: shortage of skilled labor (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Agriculture: 25%
Industry: 31%
Services: 45% (June 2007)
Unemployment rate:
24.6% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 147
10.3% (2008 est.)
Note: data are according to the Iranian Government
Population below poverty line:
18% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Lowest 10%: 2.6%
Highest 10%: 29.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.5 (2006)
Country comparison to the world: 43
Budget:
Revenues: $105.7 billion
Expenditures: $98.83 billion (2010 est.)
Public debt:
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 116
16.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18.8% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 204
13.5% (2009 est.)
Note: official Iranian estimate
Central bank discount rate:
NA% (31 December 2009)
NA% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18% (31 December 2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 70
12% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$50.37 billion (31 December 2010 est)
Country comparison to the world: 45
$48.74 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$167.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 41
$147.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$132.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 43
$120.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$63.3 billion (31 December 2009)
Country comparison to the world: 52
$49.04 billion (31 December 2008)
$45.57 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugar cane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Industries:
Petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, Cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments
Industrial production growth rate:
4.3% excluding oil (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Electricity - production:
212.8 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
Electricity - consumption:
206.7 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 18
Electricity - exports:
6.15 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports:
2.06 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
4.172 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 4
Oil - consumption:
1.809 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 14
Oil - exports:
2.4 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 4
Oil - imports:
168,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - production:
200 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 3
Natural gas - consumption:
140 billion cu m
Country comparison to the world: 4
note: excludes injection and flaring (2009 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
5.4 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 26
Natural gas - imports:
5.2 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - proved reserves:
29.61 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 2
Current account balance:
$9.76 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 24
$1.913 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$78.69 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 37
$69.04 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and Nuts, carpets
Exports - partners:
China 16.58%, Japan 11.9%, India 10.54%, South Korea 7.54%, Turkey 4.36% (2009) Much of it remains SECRET.
Imports:
$58.97 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
$58.97 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
Imports - partners:
UAE 15.14%, China 13.48%, Germany 9.66%, South Korea 7.16%, Italy 5.27%, Russia 4.81%, India 4.12% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$75.06 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
$81.31 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$12.84 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 84
$12.63 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$2.075 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 67
$1.825 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 10,308.2 (2010), 9,864.3 (2009), 9,142.8 (2008), 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1 (2006)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
25.804 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 11
Telephones - mobile cellular:
52.555 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 21
Telephone system:
General assessment: currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected
domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company have improved and expanded the fixed-line network greatly; fixed-line availability has more than doubled to nearly 26 million lines since 2000; additionally, mobile-cellular service has increased dramatically serving more than 50 million subscribers in 2009; combined fixed and mobile-cellular subscribership now exceeds 100 per 100 persons
International: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2009)
Broadcast media:
State-run broadcast media with no private media, independent broadcasters; Islamic Dictatorship of Iran Broadcasting, the state-run TV broadcaster, operates 5 nationwide channels, a news channel, about 30 provincial channels, and several international channels; about 20 foreign Persian-language TV stations broadcasting on satellite TV are capable of being seen in Iran; satellite dishes are illegal and, while their use had been tolerated, authorities began confiscating satellite dishes following the unrest stemming from the 2009 presidential election; IRIB operates 8 nationwide networks, a number of provincial stations, and an external service; most major international broadcasters transmit to Iran (2009)
Internet country code:
.ir
Internet hosts:
119,947 (2010)
Country comparison to the world: 75
Internet users:
8.214 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 35
Transportation :IRAN
Airports:
319 (2010)
Country comparison to the world: 24
Airports - with paved runways:
Total: 133
Over 3,047 m: 42
2,438 to 3,047 m: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 34
Under 914 m: 6 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Total: 186
Over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 142
Under 914 m: 33 (2010)
Heliports:
19 (2010)
Pipelines:
Condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 12 km; gas 19,246 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 7,018 km; refined products 7,936 km (2009)
Railways:
Total: 8,442 km
Country comparison to the world: 27
Broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
Standard gauge: 8,348 km 1.435-m gauge (148 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
Total: 172,927 km
Country comparison to the world: 28
Paved: 125,908 km (includes 1,429 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 47,019 km (2006)
Waterways:
850 km (on Karun River; some navigation on Lake Urmia) (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 70
Merchant marine:
Total: 74
Country comparison to the world: 57
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 40, chemical tanker 5, container 9, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2
Foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 78 (Barbados 4, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 10, Hong Kong 1, Malta 56, Panama 5, Ukraine 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Assaluyeh, Bandar Abbas, Bandar-e-Eman Khomeyni
Military ::IRAN
Military branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (IRIAF), Khatemolanbia Air Defense; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Resistance Forces, Navy, Aerospace Force, Qods Force (special operations); Law Enforcement Forces (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
Males age 16-49: 23,619,215
Females age 16-49: 22,628,341 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Males age 16-49: 20,149,222
Females age 16-49: 19,417,275 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Male: 715,111
Female: 677,372 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.5% of GDP (2006)
Country comparison to the world: 60
Transnational Issues ::IRAN
Disputes - international:
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Arvand Rood in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran;
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, which is unacceptable to Iran and Iran will continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the lake; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Refugees (country of origin): 914,268 (Afghanistan); 54,024 (Iraq) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
As the result of this incompetent, corrupt and despotic ( anti-Iranian ) regime, Iran has become the source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to settle debts; Iranian and Afghan children living in Iran are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced marriages, commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income or support drug addiction of their families; press reports indicate that regime connected criminal organizations play a significant role in human trafficking to and from Iran, in connection with smuggling of migrants, drugs, and arms tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports indicate that Iranian authorities' response is not nearly sufficient to penalize offenders, protect victims, and eliminate trafficking; some aspects of Iranian law and policy hinder efforts to combat trafficking including punishment of victims and legal obstacles to punishing offenders; Iran has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2009) BUT TO SATISFY THE CRITICS, THEY EXECUTE POLITICAL OPPONENTS UNDER THE DISGUISE OF WAR DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
Illicit drugs:
Despite THE FALSE CLAIMS OF THE REGIME for interdiction efforts and considerable control measures along the border with Afghanistan, under the Mullahs regime, Iran remains one of the primary transshipment routes for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; suffers one of the highest opiate addiction rates in the world, and has an increasing problem with synthetic drugs; lacks anti-money laundering laws; has reached out to neighboring countries to share counter-drug intelligence.
CLOSING REMARKS:
The present condition in IRAN, under the despotic Mullah’s regime is explosive indeed. If there was a genuine, free and open national referendum today, the Mullahs regime despite their claims will not even get 2% vote and that 2% are directly those thugs and hired guns whom are on regime’s payroll in return for their protection and total immunity from all the crimes they are commiting each hour of each day. the people of IRAN have reached a point that they cannot endure the opprression, indignity, poverty, backwardness and are now demanding the total abolition of the Islamic Republic Constitution and establishment of a new Liberal Democratic Ostani Constitution for a new, free and a proud IRAN.
Iran Factbook BACKGROUND
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Known as Persia until 1935, Iran started its progressive nationalism march under the leadership of King Reza Pahlavi, who was a patriotic military officer who put an end to the 200 years of corrupt, incompetent, opium addicted Ghajar dictator monarchs and established the Pahlavi monarchy. Having had full knowledge of the fact that fanatic, primitive and mostly corrupt Muslim clergy commonly known as ‘Mullahs' were the greatest enemy and obstacle to Iran's progress, modernization and civilization, the new King Reza, outlawed Mullah's interference in politics, liberated the Iranian women by passing decrees allowing them to rid themselves of the ancient forced black veil, and oppressive rules that retarded their growth to receive education and achieve progress. Under the short 17 years leadership of King Reza Pahlavi, Iran made enormous progress in number of fields such as building national railroad system, connecting the whole country together, modern judicial system based on Franco/British jurisprudence, established national Universities, ports, and shipping line, along with modern army, air force and naval bases in Persian Gulf.
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In 1941 King Reza was accused of collaborating with Hitler's Germany in his war against communist Russia and following an allied occupation of Iran, he was forced to abdicate power to his son, Crown Prince, King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
At the end of second world war, north east of Iran fell under the communist occupation which lasted three years and finally communist Russia was forced out of the country and Iran, under the authoritarian monarch, started its march towards economic progress, industrialization, modernization and democracy. Parliamentarians and nationalist leaders such as Dr Mosadeq were demanding reform and establishment of a constitutional monarchy based on the 1901 Constitution versus authoritarian monarchy and the first political party, National Front was formed and parliamentary elections held. In the pursuing years, Dr Mosadeq was popularly elected Prime Minister, and to put an end to the looting of the nation’s oil by the Anglo-Iranian oil company, the parliament unanimously voted to nationalize the oil industry and took full control of the national Iranian oil company. This triggered the animosity of the British government and following a campaign of character assassination, he was accused of being a leftist even though he was amongst the oldest aristocratic and conservative families and subsequently in the famous 1953 coup organized by the British MI6 and the American’s CIA, under president Truman, the popularly elected leader was overthrown and the authoritarian King was given the authoritarian powers so that the major American and British oil companies could sign the one sided oil contact of 1954 by which the oil companies will keep the lion’s share of the profits and leaving Iran with less than 10% of the proceeds. This 25 years contract was imposed upon Iran by the Anglo-American powers and thus retarded Iran’s ability to make serious socio-economic progress.
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Trafficking in persons:
As the result of this incompetent, corrupt and despotic ( anti-Iranian ) regime, Iran has become the source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to settle debts; Iranian and Afghan children living in Iran are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced marriages, commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income or support drug addiction of their families; press reports indicate that regime connected criminal organizations play a significant role in human trafficking to and from Iran, in connection with smuggling of migrants, drugs, and arms tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports indicate that Iranian authorities' response is not nearly sufficient to penalize offenders, protect victims, and eliminate trafficking; some aspects of Iranian law and policy hinder efforts to combat trafficking including punishment of victims and legal obstacles to punishing offenders; Iran has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2009) BUT TO SATISFY THE CRITICS, THEY EXECUTE POLITICAL OPPONENTS UNDER THE DISGUISE OF WAR DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
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In the mean time, King Mohammad Reza, a true patriot, worked hard for 37 years to develop Iran’s national education, Health, industries, land reform, national defense through his famous White Revolution program against all the oppositions by the underground communists instigated by communist Russia, and the ever present Mullahs, the biggest land owners, who were always against Iran’s progress, modernization and secular political system. Against all odds, by 1975, Iran was the most modern and advanced country in West Asia and was preparing for a major economic breakthrough, since the 25 years old one sided oil contracts were coming to an end in 1979 and the government of Iran was refusing to sign a similar one sided contract with the oil majors again and this was the main reason that Jimmy Carter in partnership with the British government at the service of oil giants like Exxon, Mobile secretly engineered the so called Islamic revolution and the rest is history. Since the take over the government of Iran by the secretive Mullahs at the service of the Anglo-American oil companies, nobody in Iran knows accurately, how much oil is produced, how much is exported and at what price and to which company or country. The theological dictatorship installed in 1979 have taken Iran back to middle ages, imposed draconian laws, and have successfully placed Iran on the top of the list of terrorist, drug dealing, human trafficking and poorest countries in the world.
The unusual form of government, the so called Islamic republic, which is neither Islamic nor republic, in 1979 was forced upon the people through deception and violence were a theocratic dictatorship system retain ultimate political authority vested in the hands of un-elected Mullah, referred to commonly as the Supreme ( DICTATOR ) who, according to the constitution, is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts – another un-elected 86-member body of other Mullahs whom are sharing the loot. US-Iranian relations have been seriously damaged since a group of Iranian thugs and criminals posed as students, seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981
Once the revolution was hijacked, the Mullahs were advised to start a war with Iraq to divert the national attention of the catastrophe that had hit them and use the same war to engineer the killing of the millions of young generation who remembered the golden days of the Pahlavi monarchy. During 1980-88, the innocent victims of Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987 and 1988.
Under the Mullah’s dictatorial regime Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and many places in the world and remains subject to US, UN, and EU economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement in terrorism and now its nuclear weapons ambitions. Following the election of so called reformer KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist (Parliament) in 2000, a campaign to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated. Of course, this was one of many fraudulent schemes to deceive the masses and once they identified the active leaders and freedom fighters, the movement floundered as Mullah’s regime, through the control of unelected institutions, prevented reform measures from being enacted and increased repressive measures. Starting with comical nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and continuing through Parliamentary SHOW elections in 2004, Mullahs have established dictatorial control over Iran's government institutions, and deceiving the masses once again by completely disregarding the free voters and installing a ‘yes man’ as president. This blatant election fraud by the Mullahs in June 2009 sparked a nationwide protests over the electoral fraud and demand to end this ugly dictatorship which have set the stage for the next revolution with intent of complete abolition of the despotic Mullahs regime and establishment of a Secular Liberal Democratic form of government with guaranteed freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion, for all Iranians in a multi party political system, free market economy, federal constitution, with a government truly elected by the people in a free, open and fair elections.
The Mullahs despotic regime, have truly been the source of national shame for the proud and civilized people of Iran. In the last 32 years they have destroyed the long and healthy relationship between Iran and most of the countries in the world in general and with the U.S, and UK and the European Union in particular. While 28% of our people are now under poverty line, the despotic regime is spending billions to secretly develop nuclear bomb, and why? so they could black-mail the world into accepting their illegitimate and criminal regime. While there is over 38% unemployment and underemployment in Iran, the sons and daughters of the Ayatollahs are siphoning billions of dollars of stolen money from the secret oil, gas and other deals to Swiss banks and live extravagant lives in Europe and USA. While they are holding thousands of political prisoners in horrific dungeons, executing scores of innocent political activists and holding the whole nation hostage at the gun point, they have the audacity to criticize Bahrain, or express camaraderie with Egyptian freedom fighters, or express support for Palestinians, not realizing that Iran’s version of a regime is a nightmare for all the people seeking freedom and democracy.
Despite the fact that the UN Security Council has passed a number of resolutions (1696 in July 2006, 1737 in December 2006, 1747 in March 2007, 1803 in March 2008, and 1835 in September 2008) calling for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities and comply with its IAEA obligations and responsibilities. Resolutions 1737, 1477, and 1803 subject a number of Iranian individuals and entities involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs to sanctions. Additionally, several Iranian entities are subject to US sanctions under Executive Order 13382 designations for proliferation activities and EO 13224 designations for support of terrorism, they continue to violate every principle of responsible governance and are moving Iran towards a devastating military confrontation with the U.S. and EU, and even neighboring countries and the international community with the risk of Iran’s total destruction. The governments and business entities of the free world are urged to stop doing business as usual with this ugly, despotic and corrupt regime of the Mullahs in Iran and get on the good side of the future free and liberal democratic nation of Iran.
Iran’s Population
77,891,220 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.1% (male 9,608,342/female 9,128,427)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 28,083,193/female 27,170,445)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,844,967/female 2,055,846)
(2011 est.)
Median age:
total: 26.8 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 27.1 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.248% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Birth rate:
18.55 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
Death rate:
5.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Net migration rate:
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
Urbanization:
urban population: 71% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major cities - population:
TEHRAN (capital) 12.19 million; Mashhad 2.592 million; Esfahan 1.704 million; Karaj 1.531 million; Tabriz 1.459 million (2009)
Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Total: 42.26 deaths/1,000 live births
Country comparison to the world: 59
Male: 42.75 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 41.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
Total population: 60.06 years
Country comparison to the world: 147
Male: 58.58 years
Female: 61.61 years (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
92,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
6,400 (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 33
Major infectious diseases:
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vector borne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
Noun: Iranian(s)
Adjective: Iranian
Ethnic groups:
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 95% (Shia 80%, Sunni 15%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 5%
Languages:
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Literacy:
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97%
Male: 93.5%
Female: 90.4% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2009)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2008)
Country comparison to the world: 80
Government :IRAN
Country name:
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
Conventional short form: Iran
Local long form Dictatory-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Local short form: Iran
Former: Persia
Government type:
Theocratic dictatorship
Capital:
Name: Tehran
Geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 25 E
Time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC During Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Monday in March; ends Fourth Wednesday in September
Administrative divisions:
31 States (Ostanha, singular - Ostan); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Pars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
1 April 1979 (Islamic Dictatorship of Iran); notable earlier dates: ca. 625 B.C. (unification of Iran under the Medes); ca. A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavids); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the Pahlavi Monarchy)
National holiday:
Day of Mourning, 1 April (1979)
National Day, 29 Esfand
Constitution:
Parliamentary Constitution1901
Note: Despotic regime since 1979
Legal system:
Based on sharia law dictatorial system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Despotic Ayatollah's Regime is Not respecting 18 years of age; universally accepted.
Executive branch:
Chief of state: Supreme Dictator Leader Ali KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) after Khomaini’s death
Head of government: president, hand-picked by the dictator
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with the approval of the Supreme Dictator
Note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are three UNELECTED oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of so called Experts (Majles-Khebregan) UNELECTED, body charged with determining the succession of the Supreme Dictator, 2) Expediency Council UNELCTED Council for the Discernment of Expediency (Majma-e-Tashkhis-e-Maslahat-e-Nezam) exerts supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians disagree and since 1989 has been used to advise national religious leaders on matters of national policy ( TO STAY IN POWER AT ALL COST ); in 2005 the Council's powers were expanded to act as a supervisory body for the government; 3) UNELECTED Council of Guardians of the Constitution or Council of Guardians or Guardians Council (Shora-ye Negban-e Qanon-e Asassi) determines whether proposed legislation is both constitutional and faithful to Islamic law??, vets candidates IN SHOW elections for suitability, and supervises national SHOW elections
Elections: Supreme DICTATOR appointed for life ?? AND ONLY ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD, by the Assembly of Experts??; president elected in SHOW elections for a four-year term (eligible for a second term and third nonconsecutive term); election last held on 12 June 2009; the president lost by 40% but the Supreme DICTATOR NULIFIED THE RESULTS AND KEPT HIS MAN (next presidential election slated for June 2013) NONE OF THEM WILL BE AROUND BY THEN
Election results published by the despotic regime: They announced that AHMADI-NEJAD was reelected president; 62.6%, MUSAVI 33.8%, others 3.6%; voter turnout 85% (The truth was totally opposite)Even though people knew that Mousavai was just a front by the regime, but to show their hate for the Dictator they voted for him.
Legislative branch:
Unicameral ( single chamber ) un elected Islamic dictatorship Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected in SHOW elections because all the candidates are selected by the Dictator based on loyalty to the DICTATOR only to serve four-year terms) NO INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ARE ALLOWED TO RUN.
SHOW elections: last held on 14 March 2008 with a runoff held on 25 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by regime"s 'yes men'- conservatives/Islamists 167, reformers 39, independents 74, religious minorities 5, other 5. All are selected candidates with loyalty to the DICTATOR ONLY. THEY ARE ALL PARTNERS IN THE LOOT.
Judicial branch: TOTALLY CORRUPT
The JUDICIAL BRANCH (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping responsibilities; together they supervise the enforcement of all laws and establish judicial and legal policies; DESIGNED TO KEEP THEM IN POWER. lower courts include a special clerical court, a revolutionary court,TO EXECUTE FREEDOM FIGHTERS and a special administrative court TO IMPRISON FREEDOM FIGHTERS, CONFISCATE THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTIES.
SHOW Political parties and leaders:
Formal political parties have not been allowed by the DICTATORSHIP in the last 32 years and Mullahs prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; then SHOW political parties or coalitions are formed prior to the SHOW elections and disbanded soon thereafter; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal groups and organizations, achieved considerable success in SHOW elections for the sixth Parliament in early 2000; groups in the coalition included the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General and sixth Majles Speaker Mehdi KARUBI formed the National Trust Party; a new conservative group, Islamic Iran Developers Coalition (Abadgaran), took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004 SHOW elections; following the 2004 Majles SHOW elections, traditional and hardline conservatives have attempted to close ranks under the United Front of Principalists and the Broad Popular Coalition of Principalists; several reformist groups, such as the Mujahadin of the Islamic Revolution, came together as a reformist coalition in advance of the 2008 Majles elections; the IIPF has repeatedly complained that the overwhelming majority of its candidates have been unfairly disqualified from the 2008 elections.
ALL THE ABOVE SO CALLED GROUPS AND PARTIES ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE SAME 300 CORE GROUP WHOM ARE IN IT TOGETHER AND ARE DOING ALL THIS TO CONTINUE TO DECEIVE THE MASSES MAKING THEM THINK THAT THERE ARE ELECTIONS. THE REAL FIGHT IS NOT OVER BRINGING FREEDOM, PROSPERITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH TO IRANIAN PEOPLE BUT IT’S A FIGHT AMONGST THEMSELVES OVER THE LOOT.
Political SHOW groups and leaders:
Groups that generally support the Islamic DICTATORSHIP: Ansar-e Hizballah-Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh); Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader; Islamic Engineers Society; Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat); active pro-reform student group: Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU);
Opposition groups WHOM ARE ALL OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY IN EXILE: Baluchistan People's Party (BPP); Freedom Movement of Iran; Green Path movement [Mehdi KARUBI, Mir-Hosein MUSAVI] which people know is just a SHOW to deceive the masses; Marz-e Por Gohar; National Front; and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations;
Arme groups opposition are: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI); Jundallah; Komala; Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO); People's Fedayeen; People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) but sadly they are al leftist and communists.
International organization participation:
IT IS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THAT SO MANY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ARE DOING BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH THE DESPOTIC REGIME AND ALLOWING THEM TO BE A MEMEBR. THEY ARE:
CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, SAARC (observer), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - the US Interests Section is located in the Embassy of Switzerland No. 39 Shahid Mousavi (Golestan 5th), Pasdaran Ave., Tehran, Iran; telephone [98] 21 2254 2178/2256 5273; FAX [98] 21 2258 0432
National anthem:
Name: NO ONE IS SINGING NOR ACCEPTING THE REGIME'S SO CALLED NATIONAL ANTHEM, AND STILL ALL PEOPLE ARE SINGING THE OLD NATIONALIST ANTHEM BOTH PRIVATELY AND PUBLICLY IN ALL ANTI REGIME DEMONSTRATIONS. AAY IRAN"Soroud-e Melli-e AAy Iran (National Anthem of the People )
author:
note: adopted 1935
Economy - overview:
Iran's economy under the dictatorship regime of the Mullahs is marked by an inefficient state sector, with major reliance on the oil sector, which provides the majority of dictatorship government’s revenues, and oppressive policies, which create major distortions throughout the system. It is a Socialist system whereby the dictatorial rulers own and control the entire economy and leave very little to the Private sector activity which is typically limited to small-scale workshops, farming, and services. Price controls, subsidies, and other rigidities weigh down the economy, undermining the potential for private-sector-led growth. As a result a significant black market activity flourishes. The legislature in late 2009 passed a bill to reduce subsidies, particularly on food and energy. The bill would phase out subsidies - which benefit Iran's upper and middle classes the most - over three to five years and replace them with cash payments to Iran's lower classes. However, the start of the program was delayed repeatedly throughout 2010 over fears of public reaction to higher prices. This is the most extensive economic reform since the government implemented gasoline rationing in 2007. The recovery of world oil prices in the last year increased Iran's oil export revenue by at least $10 billion over 2009, easing some of the financial impact of the newest round of international sanctions. Although inflation has fallen substantially since the mid-2000s, Iran continues to suffer from high double-digit unemployment and underemployment. Sadly, the underemployment among Iran's educated youth is causing them to seek jobs overseas, resulting in a significant "brain drain." And a disaster for the nation of Iran.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$863.5 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
$838.3 billion (2009 est.)
$825.9 billion (2008 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$337.9 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 125
1.5% (2009 est.)
2.5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,200 (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 100
$11,000 (2009 est.)
$11,000 (2008 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
Agriculture: 11%
Industry: 45.9%
Services: 43.1% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
25.7 million
Country comparison to the world: 22
Note: shortage of skilled labor (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Agriculture: 25%
Industry: 31%
Services: 45% (June 2007)
Unemployment rate:
24.6% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 147
10.3% (2008 est.)
Note: data are according to the Iranian Government
Population below poverty line:
18% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Lowest 10%: 2.6%
Highest 10%: 29.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.5 (2006)
Country comparison to the world: 43
Budget:
Revenues: $105.7 billion
Expenditures: $98.83 billion (2010 est.)
Public debt:
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 116
16.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18.8% (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 204
13.5% (2009 est.)
Note: official Iranian estimate
Central bank discount rate:
NA% (31 December 2009)
NA% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18% (31 December 2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 70
12% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$50.37 billion (31 December 2010 est)
Country comparison to the world: 45
$48.74 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$167.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 41
$147.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$132.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 43
$120.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$63.3 billion (31 December 2009)
Country comparison to the world: 52
$49.04 billion (31 December 2008)
$45.57 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugar cane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
Industries:
Petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, Cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments
Industrial production growth rate:
4.3% excluding oil (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Electricity - production:
212.8 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
Electricity - consumption:
206.7 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 18
Electricity - exports:
6.15 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports:
2.06 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
4.172 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 4
Oil - consumption:
1.809 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 14
Oil - exports:
2.4 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 4
Oil - imports:
168,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - production:
200 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 3
Natural gas - consumption:
140 billion cu m
Country comparison to the world: 4
note: excludes injection and flaring (2009 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
5.4 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 26
Natural gas - imports:
5.2 billion cu m (2009 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - proved reserves:
29.61 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 2
Current account balance:
$9.76 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 24
$1.913 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$78.69 billion (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 37
$69.04 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and Nuts, carpets
Exports - partners:
China 16.58%, Japan 11.9%, India 10.54%, South Korea 7.54%, Turkey 4.36% (2009) Much of it remains SECRET.
Imports:
$58.97 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
$58.97 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
Imports - partners:
UAE 15.14%, China 13.48%, Germany 9.66%, South Korea 7.16%, Italy 5.27%, Russia 4.81%, India 4.12% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$75.06 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 19
$81.31 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$12.84 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 84
$12.63 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$2.075 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 67
$1.825 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 10,308.2 (2010), 9,864.3 (2009), 9,142.8 (2008), 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1 (2006)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
25.804 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 11
Telephones - mobile cellular:
52.555 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 21
Telephone system:
General assessment: currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected
domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company have improved and expanded the fixed-line network greatly; fixed-line availability has more than doubled to nearly 26 million lines since 2000; additionally, mobile-cellular service has increased dramatically serving more than 50 million subscribers in 2009; combined fixed and mobile-cellular subscribership now exceeds 100 per 100 persons
International: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2009)
Broadcast media:
State-run broadcast media with no private media, independent broadcasters; Islamic Dictatorship of Iran Broadcasting, the state-run TV broadcaster, operates 5 nationwide channels, a news channel, about 30 provincial channels, and several international channels; about 20 foreign Persian-language TV stations broadcasting on satellite TV are capable of being seen in Iran; satellite dishes are illegal and, while their use had been tolerated, authorities began confiscating satellite dishes following the unrest stemming from the 2009 presidential election; IRIB operates 8 nationwide networks, a number of provincial stations, and an external service; most major international broadcasters transmit to Iran (2009)
Internet country code:
.ir
Internet hosts:
119,947 (2010)
Country comparison to the world: 75
Internet users:
8.214 million (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 35
Transportation :IRAN
Airports:
319 (2010)
Country comparison to the world: 24
Airports - with paved runways:
Total: 133
Over 3,047 m: 42
2,438 to 3,047 m: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 34
Under 914 m: 6 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Total: 186
Over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 142
Under 914 m: 33 (2010)
Heliports:
19 (2010)
Pipelines:
Condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 12 km; gas 19,246 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 7,018 km; refined products 7,936 km (2009)
Railways:
Total: 8,442 km
Country comparison to the world: 27
Broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
Standard gauge: 8,348 km 1.435-m gauge (148 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
Total: 172,927 km
Country comparison to the world: 28
Paved: 125,908 km (includes 1,429 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 47,019 km (2006)
Waterways:
850 km (on Karun River; some navigation on Lake Urmia) (2009)
Country comparison to the world: 70
Merchant marine:
Total: 74
Country comparison to the world: 57
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 40, chemical tanker 5, container 9, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2
Foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 78 (Barbados 4, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 10, Hong Kong 1, Malta 56, Panama 5, Ukraine 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Assaluyeh, Bandar Abbas, Bandar-e-Eman Khomeyni
Military ::IRAN
Military branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (IRIAF), Khatemolanbia Air Defense; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Resistance Forces, Navy, Aerospace Force, Qods Force (special operations); Law Enforcement Forces (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
Males age 16-49: 23,619,215
Females age 16-49: 22,628,341 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Males age 16-49: 20,149,222
Females age 16-49: 19,417,275 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Male: 715,111
Female: 677,372 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.5% of GDP (2006)
Country comparison to the world: 60
Transnational Issues ::IRAN
Disputes - international:
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Arvand Rood in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran;
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, which is unacceptable to Iran and Iran will continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the lake; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Refugees (country of origin): 914,268 (Afghanistan); 54,024 (Iraq) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
As the result of this incompetent, corrupt and despotic ( anti-Iranian ) regime, Iran has become the source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to settle debts; Iranian and Afghan children living in Iran are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced marriages, commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income or support drug addiction of their families; press reports indicate that regime connected criminal organizations play a significant role in human trafficking to and from Iran, in connection with smuggling of migrants, drugs, and arms tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports indicate that Iranian authorities' response is not nearly sufficient to penalize offenders, protect victims, and eliminate trafficking; some aspects of Iranian law and policy hinder efforts to combat trafficking including punishment of victims and legal obstacles to punishing offenders; Iran has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2009) BUT TO SATISFY THE CRITICS, THEY EXECUTE POLITICAL OPPONENTS UNDER THE DISGUISE OF WAR DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
Illicit drugs:
Despite THE FALSE CLAIMS OF THE REGIME for interdiction efforts and considerable control measures along the border with Afghanistan, under the Mullahs regime, Iran remains one of the primary transshipment routes for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; suffers one of the highest opiate addiction rates in the world, and has an increasing problem with synthetic drugs; lacks anti-money laundering laws; has reached out to neighboring countries to share counter-drug intelligence.
CLOSING REMARKS:
The present condition in IRAN, under the despotic Mullah’s regime is explosive indeed. If there was a genuine, free and open national referendum today, the Mullahs regime despite their claims will not even get 2% vote and that 2% are directly those thugs and hired guns whom are on regime’s payroll in return for their protection and total immunity from all the crimes they are commiting each hour of each day. the people of IRAN have reached a point that they cannot endure the opprression, indignity, poverty, backwardness and are now demanding the total abolition of the Islamic Republic Constitution and establishment of a new Liberal Democratic Federal Constitution for a new, free and a proud IRAN.
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