World Factbook
Iran
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
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
Capital
name
Tehran
etymology
the name probably means "flat" or "lower," referring to its location in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains
time difference
UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC)
daylight saving time
does not observe daylight savings time
geographic coordinates
35 42 N, 51 25 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
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
Constitution
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
Country name
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"
local long form
Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form
Iran
conventional long form
Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form
Iran
Independence
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)
Legal system
religious system based on secular and Islamic law
Government type
theocratic republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and organized into 42 two-bench branches, each with a justice and a judge)
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
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
Executive branch
note
note: presidential election held early due to the death of President Ebrahim RAISI in a helicopter accident in May 2024
cabinet
Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the supreme leader has some control over appointments to several ministries
chief of state
Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
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%
head of government
President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024)
most recent election date
28 June 2024, with runoff held on 5 July 2024
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)
National holiday
Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
National color(s)
green, white, red
National heritage
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)
Political parties
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)
Legislative branch
note
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
term in office
4 years
number of seats
290 (all directly elected)
electoral system
plurality/majority
legislature name
Islamic Parliament of Iran (Majles Shoraye Eslami)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
3/1/2024 to 5/10/2024
expected date of next election
February 2028
percentage of women in chamber
4.9%
National anthem(s)
note
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
title
"Soroud-e Melli-ye Jomhouri-ye Eslami-ye Iran" (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
history
adopted 1990
lyrics/music
multiple authors/Hassan RIAHI
National symbol(s)
lion
Administrative divisions
31 provinces ( ostanha , singular - ostan ); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Razavi (Razavi Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Diplomatic representation in the US
none note : Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Embassy of Pakistan, 1250 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073; email: requests@daftar.org; info@daftarwashington.com; website: https://daftar.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
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
International organization participation
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)
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt