Iran
Top Sights & Landmarks
Background
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. The US cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980. From 1980 to 1988, 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. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. After the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist Majles (legislature) in 2000, a political reform campaign in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated, but conservative politicians blocked reform measures while increasing repression. Municipal and legislative elections in 2003 and 2004 saw conservatives reestablish control over Iran's elected government institutions, culminating in the 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. His reelection in 2009 sparked nationwide protests over allegations of electoral fraud, and the protests persisted until 2011. In 2013, Iranians elected to the presidency centrist cleric Dr. Hasan Fereidun RUHANI, a longtime senior regime member who promised to reform society and foreign policy. In 2019, Tehran's sudden decision to increase the gasoline price sparked nationwide protests, which the regime violently suppressed. Conservatives won the majority in Majles elections in 2020, and hardline cleric Ebrahim RAISI was elected president in 2021, resulting in a conservative monopoly across the regime's elected and unelected institutions. Iran continues to be subject to a range of international sanctions and export controls because of its involvement in terrorism, weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and concerns over the nature of its nuclear program. Iran received nuclear-related sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action's (JCPOA) Implementation Day beginning in 2016. However, the US reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally terminated its JCPOA participation in 2018. In October 2023, the EU and the UK also decided to maintain nuclear-proliferation-related measures on Iran, as well as arms and missile embargoes, in response to Iran's non-compliance with its JCPOA commitments. As president, RAISI has concentrated on deepening Iran's foreign relations with anti-US states -- particularly China and Russia -- to weather US sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while supporting negotiations to restore a nuclear deal that began in 2021. RAISI contended with nationwide protests that began in September 2022 and persisted for over three months after the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa AMINI, in morality police custody. Young people and women led the protests, and demands focused on regime change.
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Area
Elevation
Detailed Geography Information
Coastline
2,440 km note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Geography - note
strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz
Irrigated land
79,721 sq km (2020)
Land boundaries
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s): Caspian Sea (shared with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km; Lake Namak - 750 sq km
Major rivers (by length in km)
Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation
Natural hazards
periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
Natural resources
Terrain
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Population & Growth
Age Distribution
Demographic Longevity
Vital Dynamics
Detailed People & Society Information
Alcohol consumption per capita
0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
4.3% (2017 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
69.6% (2022 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 42.8 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 30.4 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 12.4 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 8.1 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
2.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 18.8% national budget (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
0.74 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
5.8% of GDP (2021) 19% of national budget (2022 est.)
Hospital bed density
1.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Literacy
total population: 86% (2016 est.) male: 90% (2016 est.) female: 81% (2016 est.)
Major urban areas - population
9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio
16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25.8% (2016)
Physician density
1.81 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Population distribution
population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Religions
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years (2020 est.) male: 14 years (2020 est.) female: 14 years (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 13.3% (2025 est.) male: 23.8% (2025 est.) female: 2.8% (2025 est.)
Climate & Issues
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Land Cover
Air & Carbon Emissions
Water Resources & Use
Detailed Environmental Information
Geoparks
total global geoparks and regional networks: 3 global geoparks and regional networks: Aras; Qeshm Island; Tabas (2023)
International environmental agreements
Urbanization
urban population: 77.3% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 17.885 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 16.8% (2022 est.)
Capital & State Profile
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
National Identity & Symbols
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; centered in the white band is the red national emblem, a stylization of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip (a symbol of martyrdom); ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band
Detailed Government Information
Administrative divisions
31 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Razavi (Razavi Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Iran dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Constitution
history: previous 1906; latest adopted 24 October 1979, effective 3 December 1979 amendment process: proposed by the supreme leader â after consultation with the Exigency Council â and submitted as an edict to the "Council for Revision of the Constitution," a body consisting of various executive, legislative, judicial, and academic leaders and members; passage requires absolute majority vote in a referendum and approval of the supreme leader; articles including Iranâs political system, its religious basis, and its form of government cannot be amended
Country name
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form: Iran local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran local short form: Iran former: Persia etymology: the name derives from the Sanskrit word arya, referring to people living in a mountainous land, from the root word ar-, or "mountain;" the former name, Persia, was originally "Pars" (or the Arabic-influenced variant "Fars") from the Old Persian parsi, meaning "pure"
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and organized into 42 two-bench branches, each with a justice and a judge) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by the head of the High Judicial Council (HJC), a 5-member body to include the Supreme Court chief justice, the prosecutor general, and 3 clergy, in consultation with judges of the Supreme Court; president appointed for a single, renewable 5-year term; other judges appointed by the HJC; judge tenure NA subordinate courts: Penal Courts I and II; Islamic Revolutionary Courts; Courts of Peace; Special Clerical Court (functions outside the judicial system and handles cases involving clerics); military courts
Legal system
religious system based on secular and Islamic law
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 29 (27 cultural, 2 natural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Persepolis (c); Tchogha Zanbil (c); Bam and its Cultural Landscape (c); Golestan Palace (c); Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (c); Pasargadae (c); Hyrcanian Forests (n); Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex (c); Meidan Emam, Esfahan (c); Bisotun (c); Takht-e Soleyman (c); Soltaniyeh(c); Bisotun (c); Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran(c); Sheikh Safi al-din KhÄnegÄh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil (c); The Persian Garden (c); Gonbad-e QÄbus (c); Masjed-e JÄmé of Isfahan (c); Shahr-i Sokhta (c); Cultural Landscape of Maymand (c); Susa (c); Lut Desert (n);The Persian Qanat (c); Historic City of Yazd (c); Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region (c); Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat (c); Trans-Iranian Railway (c); The Persian Caravanserai (c); Hegmataneh (c); Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (c)
Political parties
Combatant Clergy Association (an active political group) Executives of Construction Party Front of Islamic Revolutionary Stability Islamic Coalition Party Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran Militant Clerics Society (Majma-e Ruhaniyoun-e Mobarez) or MRM Moderation and Development Party National Trust Party (Hezb-e E'temad-eMelli) or HEM Progress and Justice Society Union of Islamic Iran People's Party (Hezb-e Ettehad-e Iran-e Eslami)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economic Overview
traditionally state-controlled economy but reforming state-owned financial entities; strong oil/gas, agricultural, and service sectors; recent massive inflation due to exchange rate depreciation, international sanctions, and investor uncertainty; increasing poverty
Size & Performance
GDP Sector Breakdown
Trade Balance
Budget Balance
Export Profile
Top Export Partners
Major Export Commodities
Labor & Employment
Income Inequality
Family Income / Consumption Share
Detailed Economic Data
Agricultural products
Debt - external
$6.759 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Exchange rates
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - Exchange rates: 42,000 (2023 est.) 42,000 (2022 est.) 42,000 (2021 est.) 42,000 (2020 est.) 42,000 (2019 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
Industrial production growth rate
2.8% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
32.5% (2024 est.) 44.6% (2023 est.) 43.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Public debt
39.5% of GDP (2017 est.) note: includes publicly guaranteed debt
Remittances
0% of GDP (2023 est.) 0% of GDP (2022 est.) 0% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Grid Infrastructure
Generation Mix
Fossil Fuels Production
Intensity & Nuclear
Digital Access
Active internet users as a percentage of the total population.
Fixed Broadband
Mobile Cellular
Broadcast Media
Aviation
Railways
Ports & Harbors
Merchant Marine
Military Expenditures
Active Duty Strengths
information varies; up to 600,000 total active armed forces personnel; estimated 400,000 Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (350,000 Ground Forces; 18,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force/Air Defense Forces); up to estimated 190,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (100-150,000 Ground Forces; 20,000 Navy; 15,000 Aerospace Force; 5,000 Qods Force); estimated 90,000 active Basij Paramilitary Forces (2025)
Service & Defense Details
the military forces of Iran are divided between the Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Sepah): Artesh: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Air Force, Air Defense Forces IRGC: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Aerospace Force (controls strategic missile force), Qods Force (aka Quds Force; special operations), Cyber Electronic Command, Basij Paramilitary Forces Ministry of Interior: Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025) note 1: the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iranâs borders and territorial waters from external threats, while the IRGC has a broader mission to defend the Iranian revolution from any foreign or domestic threat note 2: the Artesh Navy operates Iranâs larger warships and operates in the Gulf of Oman, the Caspian Sea, and deep waters in the region and beyond; the IRGC Navy has responsibility for the closer-in waters of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz note 3: the Basij is a volunteer paramilitary group, which sometimes acts as an auxiliary law enforcement unit for the IRGC; it is formally known as the Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed and also known as the Popular Mobilization Army note 4: the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and law enforcement forces under the Interior Ministry, which report to the president, and the IRGC, which reports to the supreme leader, share responsibility for law enforcement and maintaining order note 5: the FARAJA is the uniformed police of Iran; it includes branches for public security, traffic control, anti-narcotics, special forces (riot control, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, etc), intelligence, and criminal investigations; the FARAJA also has responsibility for border security (Border Guard Command)
note: Iran maintained a military presence in Syria and recruited, trained, and funded thousands of Syrian and foreign fighters to support the ASAD regime during the Syrian civil war (2011-December 2024)
the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and US origin (US equipment acquired prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979); it also has some military equipment from North Korea such as midget submarines and ballistic missiles; in recent years, Iran has received some newer equipment from Russia; Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs (2025)
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed in May 1979 in the immediate aftermath of Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVIâs fall, as leftists, nationalists, and Islamists jockeyed for power; while the interim prime minister controlled the government and state institutions, such as the Army, followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI organized counterweights, including the IRGC, to protect the Islamic revolution; the IRGCâs command structure bypassed the elected president and went directly to KHOMEINI; the IRGC played a critical role in helping KHOMEINI consolidate power in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution, and it ensured that KHOMEINI's Islamic revolutionary vision prevailed against domestic challenges from nationalists and leftist factions in the scramble for control after the Shah's departure the Iran-Iraq War (1980â88) transformed the IRGC into more of a conventional fighting force with its own ground, air, naval, and special forces, plus control over Iranâs strategic missile and rocket forces; today, the IRGC is a highly institutionalized and parallel military force to Iranâs regular armed forces (Artesh); it is involved in internal security and has influence in the political and economic spheres of Iranian society, as well as Iranâs foreign policy; on the economic front, it owns factories and corporations and subsidiaries in banking, infrastructure, housing, airlines, tourism and other sectors; its special operations forces, known as the Qods/Quds Force, specialize in foreign missions and have provided advice, funding, guidance, material support, training, and weapons to militants in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, as well as extremist groups, including HAMAS, Hizballah, Kataâib Hizballah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad; the Qods Force also conducts intelligence and reconnaissance operations; note - both the IRGC and the Qods Force have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US (see Terrorist Organizations under References) the Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS) is the senior-most body for formulating Iranâs foreign and security policy; it is formally chaired by the president, who also appoints the SCNS secretary; its members include the speaker of the Majles, the head of the judiciary, the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (chief of defense or CHOD), the commanders of the Artesh (regular forces) and IRGC, and the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, interior, and intelligence; the SCNS reports to the supreme leader; the supreme leader is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces the Iranian Armed Forces are divided between the regular forces (Artesh) and the IRGC; the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iranâs borders and territorial waters from external threats, while the IRGC has a broader mission to defend the Iranian revolution from any foreign or domestic threat; in 1989, Iran established the Armed Forces General Staff to coordinate military action across both the Artesh and the IRGC; Iran also has a joint military headquarters, the Khatam ol-Anbia Central Headquarters, to command the Artesh and IRGC in wartime (2024)
16 for voluntary military service for men; military service is compulsory for all Iranian men at age 18 or 19 years of age; compulsory service obligation 14-21 months, depending on the location of service; women exempted from conscription but may volunteer (2025) note: conscripts may serve in the Artesh, IRGC, or Law Enforcement
Space Agency
Iranian Space Agency (ISA; created in 2003); Iran Space Research Center (ISRC; established, 2000); Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Aerospace Force (IRGC-ARF) (2024) note 1: ISA and ISRC are subordinate to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology; along with the MODAFL, they oversee part of Iran's satellite development programs; they also work with Iranian universities, private industry, and foreign partners to develop satellites note 2: MODAFL and the IRGC-ARF oversee Iran's satellite/space launch vehicle development program