Iran

theocratic republic

name: Tehran geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 51 25 E time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC) daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time etymology: the name probably means "flat" or "lower," referring to its location in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains

chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) head of government: President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the supreme leader has some control over appointments to several ministries election/appointment process: 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: 28 June 2024, with runoff held on 5 July 2024 election results: 2024: 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% 2021: 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: presidential election held early due to the death of President Ebrahim RAISI in a helicopter accident in May 2024

legislature name: Islamic Parliament of Iran (Majles Shoraye Eslami) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 290 (all directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 3/1/2024 to 5/10/2024 percentage of women in chamber: 4.9% expected date of next election: February 2028 note: 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

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

history: previous 1906; latest adopted 24 October 1979, effective 3 December 1979 amendment process: proposed by the supreme leader after consultation with the Exigency Council 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 s political system, its religious basis, and its form of government cannot be amended

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)

2% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.5% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

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 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 note 2: 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 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)

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

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 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) 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 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)

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)

$1.486 trillion (2024 est.) $1.442 trillion (2023 est.) $1.373 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$16,200 (2024 est.) $15,900 (2023 est.) $15,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

3% (2024 est.) 5% (2023 est.) 3.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

32.5% (2024 est.) 44.6% (2023 est.) 43.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

39.5% of GDP (2017 est.) note: includes publicly guaranteed debt

$100.031 billion (2024 est.) $97.924 billion (2023 est.) $105.752 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$117.176 billion (2024 est.) $113.21 billion (2023 est.) $97.729 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

9.2% (2024 est.) 9.1% (2023 est.) 9.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $60.714 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $90.238 billion (2019 est.)

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

wheat, sugarcane, milk, sugar beets, rice, tomatoes, barley, potatoes, oranges, apples (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 89,177,357 (2025 est.) male: 45,098,223 female: 44,079,134

-0.87% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 23.3% (male 10,512,797/female 10,040,282) 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 31,413,125/female 30,267,241) 65 years and over: 7% (2024 est.) (male 2,869,617/female 3,283,875)

11.24 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-15.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 75.6 years (2024 est.) male: 74.3 years female: 77.1 years

urban population: 77.3% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes

Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic major-language sample(s): چکیده نامه جهان، منبعی ضروری برای کسب اطلاعات کلی جهان (Persian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.)

total population: 86% (2016 est.) male: 90% (2016 est.) female: 81% (2016 est.)

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

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: 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

tier rating: 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/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/iran/

refugees: 3,489,257 (2024 est.) IDPs: 421 (2024 est.)

177 (2025)

total: 8,483.5 km (2014) standard gauge: 8,389.5 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (189.5 km electrified) broad gauge: 94 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge

total: 965 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 32, container ship 28, general cargo 398, oil tanker 86, other 421

total subscriptions: 159 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 174 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 80% (2023 est.)