Iran is located in the Middle East, bounded by Turkmenistan and the Caspian
Sea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, Iraq and
Turkey. The centre and east of the country is largely barren desert with
mountainous regions in the west.
Tehran, the capital, is essentially a modern city, but the best of the old has
been preserved. The Shahid Motahari Mosque has eight minarets, from which the
city can be viewed. The Bazaar is one of the world's largest. More traditional
towns, such as Rey, Varamin, Qazvin and Shemshak are within easy reach of
Tehran.
The town of Tabriz is known for its restored blue mosque built in 1465. The
covered Qaisariyeh Bazaar dates back to the 15th century. The Golden Triangle
is the name popularly given to the region enclosed by the ancient cities of
Hamadan, Kermanshahan and Khorrambabad.
For many centuries the Silk Road passed through the pleasant rolling
countryside of the region. Local dishes include chelo khoresh (rice topped
with vegetables and meat in a nut sauce) and morgh polo (chicken and pilau
rice).
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Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after
the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile.
Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government
with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious
scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of Iranian
students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it
until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, 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 1987-1988. Iran has been
designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and
elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and
export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the
elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to
foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction floundered as
conservative politicians prevented reform measures from being enacted,
increased repressive measures, and made electoral gains against reformers.
Parliamentary elections in 2004 and the August 2005 inauguration of a
conservative stalwart as president, completed the reconsolidation of
conservative power in Iran's government.
Iraq and Iran are not separate issues. The United States cannot address the morass in Iraq without seeing it in a regional context and recognizing the painful truth that the strategic winner in the Iraq war is Iran.
President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged Iran and Syria to support the governments of neighboring Iraq and Lebanon and warned against creating instability in those democracies.
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a somber, pre-election review of a long and brutal war, President Bush conceded Wednesday that the United States is taking heavy casualties in Iraq and said, "I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation" there.
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Japan, dependent on imports for 99 percent of its oil and gas, may turn to Iraq and Indonesia after it lost control of Iran's biggest untapped field.
