Iran Study & Guide - AllRefer

# Country Profile

* COUNTRY
* GEOGRAPHY
* ECONOMY
* TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
* GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
* NATIONAL SECURITY

# Introduction
# Historical Setting

* Ancient Iran
o Pre-Achaemenid Iran
o Immigration of the Medes and the Persians
o The Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 B.C.
o Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, and the Parthians
o The Sassanids, A.D. 224-642
o Islamic Conquest
* INVASIONS OF THE MONGOLS AND TAMERLANE
* THE SAFAVIDS, 1501-1722
* THE QAJARS, 1795-1925
o The Constitutional Revolution
o World War I
* THE ERA OF REZA SHAH, 1921-41
* WORLD WAR II AND THE AZARBAIJAN CRISIS
* MOSSADEQ AND OIL NATIONALIZATION
* THE POST-MOSSADEQ ERA AND THE SHAH'S WHITE REVOLUTION
o State and Society, 1964-74
o Renewed Opposition
o The Coming of the Revolution
* THE BAKHTIAR GOVERNMENT
* THE REVOLUTION
o Bazargan and the Provisional Government
o The New Constitution
o The Bani Sadr Presidency
o Terror and Repression
o Consolidation of the Revolution

# The Society and Its Environment

* GEOGRAPHY
o Topography
o Climate
* POPULATION
o Major Cities
o Emigration
o Refugees
* PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES
o The Persian Language
o The Persian-speaking People
o Indo-Iranian-speaking Groups
+ Lurs and Bakhtiaris
+ Baluchis
+ Kurds
+ Other Groups
o Turkic-speaking Groups
+ Azarbaijanis
+ Qashqais
+ Other Groups
o Semitic Language Groups
o Armenians
* STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY
o Urban Society
+ The Urban Political Elite
+ The Bazaar
o Social Class in Contemporary Iran
+ The Upper Classes
+ The Middle Classes
+ The Working Class
+ The Lower Class
o Urban Migration
o Rural Society
o Nomadic Society
* THE FAMILY
* THE SEXES
o Traditional Attitudes Toward Segregation of the Sexes
o Impact of Western Ideas on the Role of Women
o Female Participation in the Work Force
* RELIGIOUS LIFE
o Shia Islam in Iran
+ Distinctive Beliefs
+ Religious Obligations
+ Religious Institutions and Organizations
+ Religious Hierarchy
+ Unorthodox Shia Religious Movements
o Sunni Muslims
o Non-Muslim Minorities
+ Bahais
+ Christians
+ Jews
+ Zoroastrians
* EDUCATION
* HEALTH AND WELFARE
o Medical Personnel and Facilities
o Health Hazards and Preventive Medicine
o Water Supply and Sanitation
o Welfare

# The Economy

* ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT
o The Beginnings of Modernization: The Post-1925 Period
o Oil Revenues and the Acceleration of Modernization, 1960-79
o The Post-1979 Period
o Monetary and Fiscal Policy
+ Banking
+ Taxes
* THE WAR'S IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY
o Oil Exports
o War Costs
* LABOR FORCE
* PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
o Oil and Gas Industry
o Production and Reserves
o Concession Agreements
o Refining and Transport
* NON-OIL INDUSTRY
o Carpets
o Construction
o Manufacturing and Industrial Development
o Mining and Quarrying
o Utilities
o Transportation and Telecommunications
+ Transportation
+ Telecommunications
o Tourism
* AGRICULTURE
o Water
o Land Use
o Crop Production
+ Grains
+ Sugar
o Livestock
o Fisheries
o Forestry
* FOREIGN TRADE
o Imports
o Non-Oil Exports
o Trade Partners
* BALANCE OF PAYMENTS

# Government and Politics

* CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
o The Faqih
o The Presidency
o The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers
o The Majlis
o The Council of Guardians
o The Judiciary
* LOCAL GOVERNMENT
* POLITICAL DYNAMICS
o The Provisional Government
o The Rise and Fall of Bani Sadr
o The Reign of Terror
o The Consolidation of Theocracy
* POLITICAL PARTIES
o The Domination of the Islamic Republican Party
o Opposition Political Parties in Exile
+ Monarchists
+ Democratic Parties
+ Islamic Groups
+ Marxists
* POLITICAL ORIENTATIONS
* THE MASS MEDIA
* FOREIGN POLICY
o Concept of Export of Revolution
o Concept of Neither East nor West
o The Iran-Iraq War
o Relations with Regional Powers
+ The Persian Gulf States
+ Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
+ Israel and the Non-Gulf Arab States
o Iran's Role in Lebanon
o Iran and International Organizations

# National Security

* ARMED FORCES
o Historical Background
o The Revolutionary Period
o Command and Control
o Organization, Size, and Equipment
+ Army
+ Navy
+ Air Force
o Source and Quality of Manpower
o Foreign Influences in Weapons, Training, and Support Systems
o Domestic Arms Production
* SPECIAL AND IRREGULAR ARMED FORCES
o Organization and Functions
o Operations
o Role in National Security
* THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR
o The Original Iraqi Offensive
o Iranian Mobilization and Resistance
o The Iranian Counteroffensive
o The War of Attrition
o Internationalization of the War
o Gradual Superpower Involvement
o The Tanker War
o Role of the Air Force
o Role of the Navy
* ARMED FORCES AND SOCIETY
o Status in National Life
o The Defense Burden
o The Impact of Casualties on Society
o Treatment of Veterans and Widows
* INTERNAL SECURITY
o Internal Security in the 1970s
o Law Enforcement Agencies
+ SAVAK
+ SAVAMA
+ Gendarmerie and National Police
o Antiregime Opposition Groups
+ Mojahedin
+ Fadayan
+ Paykar
o The Role of Minorities in Internal Security

# Appendix. Tables
# Glossary