about Iran
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Country profile: Iran |
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Iran was one of the first countries to be occupied by the early Islamic armies which burst out from Arabia in the seventh century. Persia, as it was, had been one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, and has long maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shia interpretation of Islam.
In 1979 the country became the centre of world attention when the monarchy was overthrown and a unique Islamic republic was declared, in which religious clerics – headed by Ayatollah Khomeini – wielded ultimate political control. There followed an unstable and bloody period, including an eight-year war with Iraq, in which the country’s oil wealth plummeted from its previous high levels.
Two decades later, Iran appeared to be entering another era of political and social transformation with the victory of the liberals over the long-ruling conservative elite in parliamentary elections in 2000. But the reformists, kept on the political defensive by powerful conservatives in the government and judiciary, failed to make good on their promises. Former President Mohammad Khatami’s support for greater social and political freedoms made him popular with the young – an important factor as around half of the population is under 25. But his liberal ideas put him at odds with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and hardliners reluctant to lose sight of established Islamic traditions. The elections of June 2005 dealt a blow to the reformists when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran’s ultra-conservative mayor, became president. Nuclear ambitions Iran has come under strong pressure from the US since President George W Bush declared it part of an “axis of evil” in 2002. That pressure intensified after the US-led war against Iraq, with Washington accusing Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons and of trying to subvert US efforts in Iraq. Iran, which is building its first atomic power station with Russian help, says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. Amid a diplomatic showdown over its nuclear programme, Iran removed seals placed by the UN’s nuclear watchdog at some of its research plants and in 2006 announced that it had succeeded in enriching uranium. President Ahmadinejad says Iran has an “inalienable right” to produce nuclear fuel. The country has an abundance of energy resources, with reserves of natural gas second only to those of Russia and substantial oil reserves. But it faces the challenge of providing hundreds of thousands of new jobs for its youthful population.
Supreme leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The supreme leader – the highest power in the land – appoints the head of the judiciary, military leaders, the head of radio and TV and Friday prayer leaders.
Moreover, he selects six members of the Guardian Council, an influential body which has to pass all legislation and which can veto would-be election candidates. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was appointed for life in June 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. He served two consecutive terms as president in the 1980s. He has intervened on behalf of conservatives, coming into conflict with former president Mohammad Khatami and other reformists. President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran’s ultra-conservative mayor, won a run-off vote in elections in June 2005, defeating his rival, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to become Iran’s first non-cleric president for 24 years.
Promising an administration of “peace and moderation”, he said his government would press on with Iran’s controversial nuclear programme. Months into his presidency, a furore erupted over Mr Ahmadinejad’s comment that Israel should be “wiped off the map”. His claims that the Holocaust was a “myth” drew further international condemnation. Local elections in December 2006 – his first major test at the polls since coming to power – saw his allies trailing moderate conservatives and reformists. Born near Tehran in 1956, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a former provincial governor and Revolutionary Guards officer. He was actively involved in the Islamic revolution and was a founding member of the student union that took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. But he denies being one of the hostage-takers. His predecessor, the reformist Mohammad Khatami, was often frustrated in his attempts to deliver political and social changes. Hardline conservatives repeatedly blocked legislation during his eight years in office and the disqualification of moderates from parliamentary elections left him politically isolated.
The struggle for influence and power in Iran is played out in the media.
The relatively free press, a tangible achievement of former President Khatami’s government, has been targeted by conservatives. Many pro-reform publications have been closed and reformist writers and editors jailed. The conservative judiciary has also campaigned against the liberal media. There are some 20 major national dailies, but few Iranians buy a newspaper every day. Sports titles are the biggest sellers. Broadcasters are more restricted than the press. Despite a ban on owning dishes, foreign satellite TV channels are widely watched; this is largely tolerated by the authorities. Stations operated by exiles in the US were said to have played a role in student protests in 2003. State-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting – IRIB – operates national and provincial networks. Its Jaam-e Jam international TV channels are available worldwide via satellite. IRIB targets Arabic speakers in Iraq and the Middle East via the Al-Alam and Al-Kawthar TV networks. It launched an English-language satellite station, Press TV, in 2007. President Ahmadinejad said its mission would be “to stand by the oppressed of the world”. Television is very popular, with more than 80% of Iranians being regular viewers. The most-watched network is the third state channel, the youth channel. IRIB’s radio channels include a parliamentary network and Radio Koran. The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an external radio service, broadcasts via shortwave and the internet. Millions of Iranians have access to the internet, which has been used as a way of circumventing censorship. Internet service providers are prevented from allowing access to sites deemed to be pornographic or anti-Islamic, but the web remains the main forum for dissident voices. Access is easy to arrange and affordable for middle-class households.
There are said to be tens of thousands of weblogs, with bloggers active both in Iran and among the diaspora. Government officials, including President Ahmadinezhad, have launched blogs under their own names. Foreign broadcasters target audiences in Iran; they include the Washington-backed Radio Farda, a music-based station aimed at younger audiences. The press Source : www.bbc.co.uk |
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