factbook.json/middle-east/ir.json

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "<p>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. <br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.</p>"
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "32 00 N, 53 00 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Middle East"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total ": {
        "text": "1,648,195 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "1,531,595 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "116,600 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "5,894 km"
      },
      "border countries": {
        "text": "Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "contiguous zone": {
        "text": "24 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf"
      },
      "continental shelf": {
        "text": "natural prolongation"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Caspian Sea -28 m"
      },
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "1,305 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "29% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 9.7% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 1.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 18.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "6.6% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "64.4% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "79,721 sq km (2020)"
    },
    "Major lakes (area sq km)": {
      "salt water lake(s)": {
        "text": "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)": {
      "text": "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<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
    },
    "Major watersheds (area sq km)": {
      "text": "Indian Ocean drainage: <em>(Persian Gulf)</em> Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "total": {
        "text": "88,386,937 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "44,795,539"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "43,591,398"
      }
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Iranian(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Iranian"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "Languages": {
        "text": "Persian Farsi&nbsp;(official), Azeri&nbsp;and other&nbsp;Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic"
      },
      "major-language sample(s)": {
        "text": "<br>چکیده نامه جهان، منبعی ضروری برای کسب اطلاعات کلی جهان (Persian)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
      }
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "23.3% (male 10,512,797/female 10,040,282)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "69.8% (male 31,413,125/female 30,267,241)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "7% (2024 est.) (male 2,869,617/female 3,283,875)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "43.3 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "33.3 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "10 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "10 (2024 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "33.8 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "33.6 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "34.1 years"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.88% (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "14.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "77.3% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "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)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.87 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "14.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "15.4 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "13.2 deaths/1,000 live births"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "75.6 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "74.3 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "77.1 years"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "1.91 children born/woman (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "0.93 (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 99.8% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 98.1% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 99.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 0.2% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 1.9% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Health expenditure": {
      "Health expenditure (as % of GDP)": {
        "text": "5.8% of GDP (2021)"
      },
      "Health expenditure (as % of national budget)": {
        "text": "19% of national budget (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Physician density": {
      "text": "1.81 physicians/1,000 population (2023)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "1.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 100% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 100% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 100% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 0% of population (2015 est.)"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 0% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 0% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "25.8% (2016)"
    },
    "Alcohol consumption per capita": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "beer": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "wine": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "spirits": {
        "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "other alcohols": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "13.3% (2025 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "23.8% (2025 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "2.8% (2025 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "4.3% (2017)"
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "70.3% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Education expenditure": {
      "Education expenditure (% GDP)": {
        "text": "2.8% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Education expenditure (% national budget)": {
        "text": "18.8% national budget (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "86% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "90% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "81% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "15 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "15 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "15 years (2020)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environmental issues": {
      "text": "air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste"
    },
    "International environmental agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands"
      },
      "signed, but not ratified": {
        "text": "Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "29% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 9.7% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 1.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 18.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "6.6% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "64.4% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "77.3% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "31.62 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "661.71 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "158.71 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "17.885 million tons (2017 est.)"
      },
      "municipal solid waste recycled annually": {
        "text": "894,250 tons (2017 est.)"
      },
      "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": {
        "text": "5% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total water withdrawal": {
      "municipal": {
        "text": "6.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "industrial": {
        "text": "1.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural": {
        "text": "86 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "137.05 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Geoparks": {
      "total global geoparks and regional networks": {
        "text": "3"
      },
      "global geoparks and regional networks": {
        "text": "Aras; Qeshm Island; Tabas (2023)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Islamic Republic of Iran"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Iran"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Iran"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "Persia"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the name derives from the Sanskrit word <em>arya</em>, referring to people living in a mountainous land, from the root word <em>ar</em>-, or \"mountain;\" the former name, Persia, was originally \"Pars\" (or the Arabic-influenced variant \"Fars\") from the Old Persian <em>parsi</em>, meaning \"pure\""
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "theocratic republic"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Tehran"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "35 42 N, 51 25 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC)"
      },
      "daylight saving time": {
        "text": "does not observe daylight savings time"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the name probably means \"flat\" or \"lower,\" referring to its location in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "31 provinces (<em>ostanha</em>, singular - <em>ostan</em>); 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"
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "religious system based on secular and Islamic law"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "previous 1906; latest adopted 24 October 1979, effective 3 December 1979"
      },
      "amendment process": {
        "text": "proposed by the supreme leader &ndash; after consultation with the Exigency Council &ndash; 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 Iran&rsquo;s political system, its religious basis, and its form of government cannot be amended"
      }
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "the father must be a citizen of Iran"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "5 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024)"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the supreme leader has some control over appointments to several ministries"
      },
      "election/appointment process": {
        "text": "supreme leader appointed for life by Assembly of Experts; president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term and an additional nonconsecutive term)"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "28 June 2024, with runoff held on 5 July 2024"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "<em><br>2024: </em>first round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN (independent) 44.4%, Saeed JALILI (Front of Islamic Revolution Stability) 40.4%, Mohammad Baqer QAKIBAF (Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran) 14.3%, other 0.9%; second round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN elected; Masoud PEZESHKIAN 54.8%, Saeed JALILI 45.2%<br><em><br>2021:</em> Ebrahim RAISI elected president; percent of vote - Ebrahim RAISI (independent) 72.4%, Mohsen REZAI (RFII) 13.8%, Abbdolnaser HEMATI (ECP) 9.8%, Amir-Hosein Qazizadeh-HASHEMI (Islamic Law Party) 4%"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>presidential election held early due to the death of President Ebrahim RAISI in a helicopter accident in May 2024"
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "legislature name": {
        "text": "Islamic Parliament of Iran (Majles Shoraye Eslami)"
      },
      "legislative structure": {
        "text": "unicameral"
      },
      "number of seats": {
        "text": "290 (all directly elected)"
      },
      "electoral system": {
        "text": "plurality/majority"
      },
      "scope of elections": {
        "text": "full renewal"
      },
      "term in office": {
        "text": "4 years"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "3/1/2024 to 5/10/2024"
      },
      "percentage of women in chamber": {
        "text": "4.9%"
      },
      "expected date of next election": {
        "text": "February 2028"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> all candidates to the Majles must be approved by the Council of Guardians, a 12-member group of which 6 are appointed by the supreme leader and 6 are jurists nominated by the judiciary and elected by the Majles"
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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"
      }
    },
    "Political parties": {
      "text": "Combatant Clergy Association (an active political group)<br>Executives of Construction Party<br>Front of Islamic Revolutionary Stability<br>Islamic Coalition Party<br>Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran<br>Militant Clerics Society (Majma-e Ruhaniyoun-e Mobarez) or MRM<br>Moderation and Development Party<br>National Trust Party (Hezb-e E'temad-eMelli) or HEM<br>Progress and Justice Society<br>Union of Islamic Iran People's Party (Hezb-e Ettehad-e Iran-e Eslami)"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "text": "none <br><strong><br>note</strong>: Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Embassy of Pakistan, 1250 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073; email:  requests@daftar.org; info@daftarwashington.com; website:  https://daftar.org/"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "embassy": {
        "text": "none; the US Interests Section is located in the Embassy of Switzerland; US Foreign Interests Section, Embassy of Switzerland, Pasdaran, Shahid Mousavi Street (Golestan 5th), Corner of Paydarfard Street, No. 55, Tehran"
      }
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "BRICS, CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), 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, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed); notable earlier dates: ca. 550 B.C. (Achaemenid or Persian Empire established); A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavid dynasty); 1794 (beginning of Qajar dynasty); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the PAHLAVI dynasty)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Republic Day, 1 April (1979)"
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "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 <em>Allah </em>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; green is the color of Islam and also represents growth, white stands for honesty and peace, and red for bravery and martyrdom"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "lion"
    },
    "National color(s)": {
      "text": "green, white, red"
    },
    "National anthem(s)": {
      "title": {
        "text": "\"Soroud-e Melli-ye Jomhouri-ye Eslami-ye Iran\" (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "multiple authors/Hassan RIAHI"
      },
      "history": {
        "text": "adopted 1990; Iran has had six national anthems; the first, \"Salam-e Shah\" (Royal Salute), was in use from 1873 to 1909; \"Salamati-ye Dowlat-e Elliye-ye Iran\" (Salute of the Sublime State of Persia) from 1909 to 1933; \"Sorud-e melli\" (The Imperial Anthem of Iran) from 1933 to 1979; \"Ey Iran\" (Oh Iran) functioned unofficially as the national anthem for a brief period between the ouster of the Shah in 1979 and the early days of the Islamic Republic in 1980; \"Payandeh Bada Iran\" (Long Live Iran) was used between 1980 and 1990 under Ayatollah KHOMEINI"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> a recording of the current Iranian national anthem is unavailable because the US Navy Band does not record anthems for countries from which the US does not anticipate official visits; the US does not have diplomatic relations with Iran"
    },
    "National heritage": {
      "total World Heritage Sites": {
        "text": "28 (26cultural, 2 natural)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "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 Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil (c); The Persian Garden (c); Gonbad-e Qābus (c); Masjed-e Jām&eacute; 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)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023": {
        "text": "$1.442 trillion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": {
        "text": "$1.373 trillion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": {
        "text": "$1.323 trillion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2023": {
        "text": "5.04% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2022": {
        "text": "3.78% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2021": {
        "text": "4.72% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2023": {
        "text": "$15,900 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2022": {
        "text": "$15,300 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2021": {
        "text": "$15,000 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$404.626 billion (2023 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023": {
        "text": "44.6% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022": {
        "text": "43.5% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": {
        "text": "43.4% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "12.8% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "36.2% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "48.3% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "50.3% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "12.9% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "26.8% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "11.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "24.2% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-28% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection"
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "wheat, sugarcane, milk, sugar beets, rice, tomatoes, barley, potatoes, oranges, apples (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "petroleum, petrochemicals, gas, fertilizer, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and nonferrous metal fabrication, armaments"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "7.14% (2023 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "28.575 million (2024 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work"
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2024": {
        "text": "9.2% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2023": {
        "text": "9% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2022": {
        "text": "9.1% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment"
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "22.8% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "20% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "35.5% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022": {
        "text": "34.8 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality"
    },
    "Average household expenditures": {
      "on food": {
        "text": "27.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)"
      },
      "on alcohol and tobacco": {
        "text": "0.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "2.8% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "26.8% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population"
    },
    "Remittances": {
      "Remittances 2023": {
        "text": "0% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2022": {
        "text": "0% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2021": {
        "text": "0% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$60.714 billion (2019 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$90.238 billion (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2017": {
        "text": "39.5% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes publicly guaranteed debt"
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "17.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2017": {
        "text": "$9.491 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2016": {
        "text": "$16.28 billion (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2023": {
        "text": "$97.924 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2022": {
        "text": "$105.752 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2021": {
        "text": "$87.574 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "China 35%, Turkey 16%, India 8%, Pakistan 7%, Armenia 5% (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "plastics, iron ore, alcohols, natural gas, refined copper (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2023": {
        "text": "$113.21 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2022": {
        "text": "$97.729 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2021": {
        "text": "$82.571 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "China 34%, UAE 20%, Turkey 11%, Brazil 8%, Germany 4% (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "broadcasting equipment, vehicle parts/accessories, corn, soybeans, vehicle bodies (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017": {
        "text": "$120.6 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016": {
        "text": "$133.7 billion (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 2023": {
        "text": "$6.759 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "Currency": {
        "text": "Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2023": {
        "text": "42,000 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2022": {
        "text": "42,000 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2021": {
        "text": "42,000 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2020": {
        "text": "42,000 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2019": {
        "text": "42,000 (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "100% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity": {
      "installed generating capacity": {
        "text": "86.058 million kW (2023 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "335.175 billion kWh (2023 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "5.723 billion kWh (2023 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "3.136 billion kWh (2023 est.)"
      },
      "transmission/distribution losses": {
        "text": "37.948 billion kWh (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity generation sources": {
      "fossil fuels": {
        "text": "94.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      },
      "nuclear": {
        "text": "1.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      },
      "solar": {
        "text": "0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      },
      "wind": {
        "text": "0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      },
      "hydroelectricity": {
        "text": "3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Nuclear energy": {
      "Number of operational nuclear reactors": {
        "text": "1 (2025)"
      },
      "Number of nuclear reactors under construction": {
        "text": "1 (2025)"
      },
      "Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors": {
        "text": "0.92GW (2025 est.)"
      },
      "Percent of total electricity production": {
        "text": "1.7% (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Coal": {
      "production": {
        "text": "2.209 million metric tons (2023 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "3.032 million metric tons (2023 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "212,000 metric tons (2023 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "1.098 million metric tons (2023 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "1.203 billion metric tons (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Petroleum": {
      "total petroleum production": {
        "text": "4.112 million bbl/day (2023 est.)"
      },
      "refined petroleum consumption": {
        "text": "2.415 million bbl/day (2023 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil estimated reserves": {
        "text": "208.6 billion barrels (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Natural gas": {
      "production": {
        "text": "265.088 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "252.353 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "14.698 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "2.274 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "33.987 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "total emissions": {
        "text": "823.364 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from coal and metallurgical coke": {
        "text": "7.136 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from petroleum and other liquids": {
        "text": "316.922 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from consumed natural gas": {
        "text": "499.306 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Energy consumption per capita": {
      "Total energy consumption per capita 2023": {
        "text": "160.779 million Btu/person (2023 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "29.02 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "32 (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "151 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "165 (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "state-run broadcast media with no private, independent broadcasters; Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state-run TV broadcaster, operates over 60 television channels, over 50 radio stations, and dozens of newspapers and websites; about 20 foreign Persian-language TV stations broadcasting on satellite TV can be seen in Iran; satellite dishes are illegal and sometimes confiscated; most major international broadcasters transmit to Iran (2023)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".ir"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "80% (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "10.9 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "12 (2023 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "EP"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "177 (2025)"
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "90 (2025)"
    },
    "Railways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "8,483.5 km (2014)"
      },
      "standard gauge": {
        "text": "8,389.5 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (189.5 km electrified)"
      },
      "broad gauge": {
        "text": "94 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge"
      }
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "965 (2023)"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "bulk carrier 32, container ship 28, general cargo 398, oil tanker 86, other 421"
      }
    },
    "Ports": {
      "total ports": {
        "text": "18 (2024)"
      },
      "large": {
        "text": "0"
      },
      "medium": {
        "text": "4"
      },
      "small": {
        "text": "6"
      },
      "very small": {
        "text": "8"
      },
      "ports with oil terminals": {
        "text": "13"
      },
      "key ports": {
        "text": "Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Khorramshahr"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "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):<br><br>Artesh: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Air Force, Air Defense Forces<br><br>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<br><br>Ministry of Interior: Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA)<br><br>Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025)",
      "note": "<strong>note 1: </strong>the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iran’s 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<strong><br><br>note 2:</strong> the Artesh Navy operates Iran’s 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<br><br><strong>note 3:</strong> 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<br><br><strong>note 4: </strong>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<br><br><strong>note 5:</strong> 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)"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "Military Expenditures 2024": {
        "text": "2% of GDP (2024 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2023": {
        "text": "2.3% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2022": {
        "text": "2.5% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2021": {
        "text": "2.3% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2020": {
        "text": "2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Military and security service personnel strengths": {
      "text": "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)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and mostly older 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, including 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 (2024)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "military service is compulsory for all Iranian men 18-19 to approximately age 40; 16 for voluntary military service (may be as low as 15 for the Basij); conscript military service obligation is up to 24 months, depending on the location of service (soldiers serving in places of high security risk and deprived areas serve shorter terms); women exempted from military service (2023)",
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>conscripts serve in the Artesh, IRGC, and Law Enforcement, while Navy and Air/Air Defense Force personnel are primarily volunteers"
    },
    "Military deployments": {
      "text": "<strong>note:</strong> 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)"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed in May 1979 in the immediate aftermath of Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI’s 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 IRGC’s 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<br><br>the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) transformed the IRGC into more of a conventional fighting force with its own ground, air, naval, and special forces, plus control over Iran’s strategic missile and rocket forces; today, the IRGC is a highly institutionalized and parallel military force to Iran’s 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 Iran’s 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, Kata’ib 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)<br><br>the Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS) is the senior-most body for formulating Iran’s 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<br><br>the Iranian Armed Forces are divided between the regular forces (Artesh) and the IRGC; the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iran’s 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)"
    }
  },
  "Space": {
    "Space agency/agencies": {
      "text": "Iranian Space Agency (ISA; created in 2003 from merging the activities of the Iranian Remote Sensing Center and some of the activities of the Telecommunications Company of Iran); Iran Space Research Center (established, 2000); Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics; Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO; under the Ministry of Defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Space Command (formed in 2020) (2024)"
    },
    "Space launch site(s)": {
      "text": "Imam Khomeini Space Center (aka Semnan Space Center; Semnan province); Shahroud Space Center (IGRC military base; Semnan Province); Qom Space Center (Qom Province); inaugurated its first space monitoring center located near Delijan (Markazi Province) in 2013 (2024)"
    },
    "Space program overview": {
      "text": "has an ambitious civil and military space program focused on acquiring and operating satellites and developing indigenous satellite/space launch vehicles (SLV); designs, builds, and operates satellites, including communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific; manufactures and operates SLVs; researching and developing other space-related capabilities and technologies in such areas as telecommunications, RS, navigation, and space situational awareness; UN Security Council and other international sanctions against Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program have severely limited Iran’s cooperation with foreign space agencies and commercial space industries; in recent years, however, it has cooperated with North Korea and Russia on space issues; Iran has also had relations with regional and international space organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization; it was a founding member of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) established in 1958 (2024)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide"
    }
  },
  "Terrorism": {
    "Terrorist group(s)": {
      "text": "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jaysh al Adl (Jundallah); Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); al-Qa’ida",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Refugees and internally displaced persons": {
      "refugees (country of origin)": {
        "text": "500,000 undocumented Afghans, 750,000 Afghan refugee card holders, 12,000 Iraqi refugee card holders (2022)"
      },
      "stateless persons": {
        "text": "34 (mid-year 2021)"
      }
    },
    "Trafficking in persons": {
      "tier rating": {
        "text": "Tier 3 — Iran does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Iran remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to:  https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/iran/"
      }
    }
  }
}