Introduction & Quick FactsLandReliefVolcanic and tectonic activityThe interior plateauDrainageSoilsClimatePlant and animal lifeFloraFaunaPeopleEthnic groupsLanguagesReligionShiʿismReligious minoritiesSettlement patternsRural settlementUrban settlementDemographic trendsEconomyOverviewState planningReformAgriculture, forestry, and fishingResources and powerMiningPowerManufacturingFinanceTradeServicesLabor and taxationTransportation and telecommunicationsGovernment and societyConstitutional frameworkVelāyat-e faqīhThe presidencyDeliberative bodiesLocal governmentJusticePolitical processSecurityHealth and welfareHousingEducationCultural lifeCultural milieuDaily life and social customsThe artsCraftsArchitectureVisual artsMusicLiteratureCinemaCultural institutionsSports and recreationMedia and publishingHistoryThe advent of Islam (640–829)Abū Muslim’s revolutionThe Abbasid caliphate (750–821)The “Iranian intermezzo” (821–1055)The ṢaffāridsThe SamanidsThe Iranian renaissanceThe GhaznavidsThe BuyidsThe Seljuqs and the MongolsThe SeljuqsThe IsmāʿīliyyahThe Khwārezm-ShahsThe Mongol invasionThe Il-KhansThe Timurids and TurkmenThe Safavids (1501–1736)Shah IsmāʿīlShah ʿAbbās IThe Afghan interludeReligious developmentsNādir Shah (1736–47)The Zand dynasty (1750–79)The Qājār dynasty (1796–1925)The age of imperialismPopular protest and the Constitutional RevolutionRise of Reza KhanThe Pahlavi dynasty (1925–79)Reza ShahWartime and nationalization of oilThe White RevolutionProtest and failureForeign relationsThe growth of social discontentThe Islamic republicThe Iranian Revolution, 1978–79Postrevolutionary chaosThe Iran-Iraq War (1980–88)Iran under Ayatollah KhameneiDomestic affairs and internal reformPresidential term of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: reconstruction and liberalizationFirst presidential term of Mohammad Khatami: reformist movement and conservative interventionSecond presidential term of Mohammad Khatami: continued interventionFirst presidential term of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: conservatives return to powerSecond presidential term of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: growing discontent and unrestFirst and second presidential terms of Hassan Rouhani: economic recovery and renewed economic crisisPresidential term of Ebrahim RaisiForeign affairs since 1989: continuing tension abroadU.S. invasion of Iran’s neighborsNuclear program and sanctionsNuclear deal reached: Joint Comprehensive Plan of ActionNuclear deal falters, Iran, [a] officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) [b] and also known as Persia, [c] is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian , Iran is a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The heart of the Persian empire of antiquity, Iran has long played an important role in the region as an imperial power and as a factor in superpower rivalries. Modern Iranian culture owes itself in part to a renaissance in the 8th century..