Iran

• rugged, mountainous rim;
• high, central basin with deserts, mountains;
• small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

highest point:

Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m

lowest point:

Caspian Sea -28 m

mean elevation:

1,305 m

salt water lake(s):

• Caspian Sea (shared with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km;
• Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km;
• Lake Namak - 750 sq km

• 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

note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

• 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

• periodic droughts, floods;
• dust storms, sandstorms;
• earthquakes

noun:

Iranian(s)

adjective:

Iranian

total:

35.2 years (2025 est.)

male:

33.6 years

female:

34.1 years

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

15.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

13.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

75.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

74.3 years

female:

77.1 years

total:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

13.3% (2025 est.)

male:

23.8% (2025 est.)

female:

2.8% (2025 est.)

• 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

urban population:

77.3% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

6,208.1 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

819.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

832.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

37.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

17.885 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

16.8% (2022 est.)

municipal:

6.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

1.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

86 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

3

global geoparks and regional networks:

• Aras;
• Qeshm Island;
• Tabas (2023)

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Iran

conventional short form:

Iran

local long form:

Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

local short form:

Iran

former:

Persia

etymology:

the name derives from the Sanskrit word arya , referring to people living in a mountainous land, from the root word ar -, or "mountain;" the former name, Persia, was originally "Pars" (or the Arabic-influenced variant "Fars") from the Old Persian parsi , meaning "pure"

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

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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Iran

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

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

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

• Combatant Clergy Association (an active political group)
• Executives of Construction Party
• Front of Islamic Revolutionary Stability
• Islamic Coalition Party
• Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran
• Militant Clerics Society (Majma-e Ruhaniyoun-e Mobarez) or MRM
• Moderation and Development Party
• National Trust Party (Hezb-e E'temad-eMelli) or HEM
• Progress and Justice Society
• Union of Islamic Iran People's Party (Hezb-e Ettehad-e Iran-e Eslami)

embassy:

• 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

• 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)

description:

• 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 Allah 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

meaning:

green is the color of Islam and also represents growth, white stands for honesty and peace, and red for bravery and martyrdom

title:

"Soroud-e Melli-ye Jomhouri-ye Eslami-ye Iran" (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)

lyrics/music:

multiple authors/Hassan RIAHI

history:

adopted 1990

note: 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

total World Heritage Sites:

29 (27 cultural, 2 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• 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 Jāmé 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);
• Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (c)

• 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

total:

22.8% (2024 est.)

male:

20% (2024 est.)

female:

35.5% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

27.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

0.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.8% (2023 est.)

highest 10%:

28.2% (2023 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

1 (2025)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction:

1 (2025)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

0.92GW (2025 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

1.7% (2023 est.)

production:

2.209 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

3.032 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

212,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

1.098 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

1.203 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

4.112 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

2.415 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

208.6 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

265.088 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

252.353 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

14.698 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

2.274 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

33.987 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• 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)

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 ports:

18 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

4

small:

6

very small:

8

ports with oil terminals:

13

key ports:

Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Khorramshahr

• the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and 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 such as 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 (2025)

• 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

• Imam Khomeini Space Center (aka Semnan Space Center; Semnan province);
• Shahroud Space Center (Semnan Province; IRGC-operated);
• Chabahar Space Center (Sistan and Baluchistan Province; under development) (2025)

• has an ambitious civil and military space program focused on satellites and satellite 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 areas such as telecommunications, RS, navigation, and space situational awareness;
• 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 worked with North Korea and Russia, as well as regional and international space organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization;
• Iran was a founding member of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 1958;
• has an active private space industry (2025)

• 1998 - began development of 2-stage satellite/space launch vehicle (SLV) (Safir)
• 2006 - first successful launch of a small, domestically produced communications and research satellite (Omid) on the Safir SLV
• 2010 - began developing a more capable 2-stage orbital SLV (Simorgh; aka Safir-2)
• 2011 - launched first domestically produced remote sensing (RS) satellite (Rasad) on Safir SLV
• 2020 - placed RS microsatellite (Noor) in orbit on 3-stage SLV (Qased or Messenger)
• 2021 - first launch of road-mobile 3-stage SLV (Zuljanah)
• 2022 - completed suborbital test of new small-lift SLV (Quam-100)