Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local short form: Iran
former: Persia
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Government type:
theocratic republic
Capital:
Tehran
Administrative divisions:
28 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e
Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari,
Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,
Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad,
Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan,
Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include
Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21
March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925)
Constitution:
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency
and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system:
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Suffrage:
15 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI
(since 4 June 1989)
elections: leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by
the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 8 June 2001 (next to be held June
2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected
president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with
legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over
appointments to the more sensitive ministries
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since
3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-YAZDI
(since 26 August 2001)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 February 2000 with a runoff held 5 May 2000
(next to be held February 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - reformers
189, conservatives 54, independents 42, seats reserved for religious
minorities 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad front achieved
considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000,
and groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation
Front (IIPF); Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran);
Solidarity Party; Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization
(MIRO); and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); a new apparently
conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, emerged at the
local level in early 2003
Political pressure groups and leaders:
active pro-reform student groups include the "Organization for
Strengthening Unity"; groups that generally support the Islamic
Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the
Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat),
Islamic Coalition Association, and Islamic Engineers Society;
opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National
Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various Monarchist organizations; armed
political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the
government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's
Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala
International organization participation:
CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the
national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the
shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the
white band; 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