Iran

Context: Iran has witnessed nationwide protests for over a week triggered by economic collapse, soaring inflation, and currency depreciation, with demonstrations reported across most provinces.

About Iran:

What it is?

• Iran is a West Asian country with a unique political system combining republican institutions with a Shiʿa Islamic theocracy. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, real power rests with the Supreme Leader, making Iran a key geopolitical and ideological actor in the Middle East.

Location:

• Iran is located in southwestern Asia, acting as a bridge between the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, and commanding strategic access to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Capital: Tehran.

Neighbouring nations: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Key geological and physical features:

• Central Iranian Plateau: A vast, arid and elevated region forming Iran’s core, dominated by the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut deserts, characterised by extreme temperatures, salt flats, and sparse habitation.
• Zagros Mountains: A long northwest–southeast mountain system in western Iran, geologically young and tectonically active, rich in hydrocarbons and forming a natural barrier between the plateau and Mesopotamian plains.
• Alborz Mountains: Running along the southern Caspian Sea coast, this range contains Mount Damavand, Iran’s highest peak, and sharply separates the fertile Caspian lowlands from the interior plateau.
• High seismic activity: Located at the convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates, Iran experiences frequent and often devastating earthquakes, making it one of the world’s most seismically vulnerable regions.
• Drainage and rivers: River systems are limited and largely seasonal due to arid conditions; the Karun River in the southwest is the only fully navigable river and a crucial source of irrigation and hydroelectric power.