📰 Iran · page 5

After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the arrival of ISIS in the mid-2010s, Iran financed and trained militia groups in Iraq.[370][371][372]402 After the Iran-Iraq war and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iran shaped Iraq's politics.[373][374][375]403 Following Iraq's struggle against ISIS in 2014, companies linked to the IRGC such as Khatam al-Anbiya, started to build roads, power plants, hotels and businesses in Iraq, creating an economic corridor worth around $9 billion before COVID-19.[376]404

During Yemen's civil war Iran provided military support to the Houthis,[377][378][379] a Zaydi Shia movement fighting Yemen's Sunni government since 2004,[380][381] which gained significant power.[382][383][384]405 Iran has considerable influence in Afghanistan through militant groups such as Fatemiyoun Division[385][386] and Hezbollah Afghanistan[387][388] and also in Pakistan through militant groups such as Zainabiyoun Brigade[389] and Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan.[390]406

In Syria, Iran supported President Bashar al-Assad;[391][392] the two countries were long-standing allies.[393][370]407 Iran provided significant military and economic support to Assad's government,[394][395] so had a considerable foothold in Syria.[396][397]408 Iran has long supported organizations in North Africa in countries like Algeria corpus and Tunisia corpus.409 Iran embraced Hamas in part to help undermine the popularity of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).[398]410 Iran's support of Hamas emerged more clearly in later years.[399][400][401][402]411 According to US intelligence, Iran does not have full control over these state and non-state groups.[403]412

Censorship

Main article: Censorship in Iran, Political repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Censorship is ranked among the most extreme worldwide.[404][405][406]413 Iran has strict internet censorship, with the government persistently blocking social media and other sites.[407][408][409]414 Since January 2021, authorities have blocked several social media platforms.[410]415

The 2006 election results were widely disputed, resulting in protests.[411][412][413][414]416 The 2017–18 Iranian protests swept across the country in response to the economic and political situation.[415]417 It was formally confirmed that thousands of protesters were arrested.[416]418 The 2019–20 Iranian protests started on 15 November in Ahvaz, and spread across the country after the government announced increases in fuel prices of up to 300%.[417]419 A week-long total Internet shutdown marked one of the most severe Internet blackouts in any country, and the bloodiest governmental crackdown of the protestors.[418]420 Tens of thousands were arrested and hundreds were killed within a few days according to multiple international observers, including Amnesty International.[419]421

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Iran

The Iranian government has been denounced by various international organizations and governments for violating human rights.[420]422 The government has frequently persecuted and arrested critics of the government.423 Iranian law does not recognise sexual orientations.424 Sexual activity between members of the same sex is illegal and is punishable by death.[421][422]425 Capital punishment is a legal punishment, and Iran is reported to have the highest execution rate per capita in the world.[423][424][425]426 UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman has reported discrimination against several ethnic minorities in Iran.[426]427 A group of UN experts in 2022 urged Iran to stop "systematic persecution" of religious minorities, adding that members of the Baháʼí Faith were arrested, barred from universities, or had their homes demolished.[427][428]428 In 2024, a UN Special Rapporteur investigation concluded that Iran committed genocide against its political and religious minorities during 1981–1982 massacres and 1988 mass executions.[429]429

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was a scheduled international civilian passenger flight from Tehran to Kyiv corpus, operated by Ukraine International Airlines.430 On 8 January 2020, the Boeing 737–800 flying the route was shot down by the IRGC shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 occupants on board and leading to protests.431 An international investigation led to the government admitting to the shootdown, calling it a "human error".[430][431]432 Further protests against the government began on 16 September 2022 after a woman named Mahsa Amini died in police custody following her arrest by the Guidance Patrol, known commonly as the "morality police".[432][433][434][435]433 Government crackdown on the protests have been described by the UN to be crimes against humanity.[436]434

Economy

Main article: Economy of Iran

See also: Subsidies in Iran, Banking and insurance in Iran

as of 2024, Iran has the world's 19th largest economy by PPP-adjusted GDP.435 It is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures.[437]436 Services contribute the largest percentage of GDP, followed by industry (mining and manufacturing) and agriculture.[438]437 The economy is characterized by its hydrocarbon sector, manufacturing and financial services.[439]438 With 10% of the world's oil reserves and 15% of gas reserves, Iran is an energy superpower.439 Over 40 industries are directly involved in the Tehran Stock Exchange.440

Tehran is the economic powerhouse of Iran.[440]441 About 30% of Iran's public-sector workforce and 45% of its large industrial firms are located there, and half those firms' employees work for government.[441]442 The Central Bank of Iran is responsible for developing and maintaining the currency: the Iranian rial.443 The government does not recognise trade unions other than the Islamic labour councils, which are subject to the approval of employers and the security services.[442]444 Iran was the first country to introduce a national basic income in Autumn 2010.[443]445 Unemployment was 9% in 2022.[444]446

Budget deficits have been a chronic problem, mostly due to large state subsidies, that include foodstuffs and especially petrol, totaling $100 billion in 2022 for energy alone.[445][446]447 In 2010, the economic reform plan was to cut subsidies gradually and replace them with targeted social assistance.448 The objective is to move towards free market prices and increase productivity and social justice.[447]449 The administration continues reform, and indicates it will diversify the oil-reliant economy.450 Iran has developed a biotechnology, nanotechnology, and pharmaceutical industry.[448]451 The government is privatising industries.452

Iran has leading manufacturing industries in automobile manufacture, transportation, construction materials, home appliances, food and agricultural goods, armaments, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and petrochemicals in the Middle East.[449]453 It is among the world's top five producers of apricots, cherries, cucumbers and gherkins, dates, figs, pistachios, quinces, walnuts, Kiwifruit and watermelons.[450]454 International sanctions against Iran have damaged the economy.[451]455 Iran is one of three countries that has not ratified the Paris Agreement to limit climate change, although academics say it would be good for the country.[452]456

Iran suffers from high inflation[453][454] and especially surging food prices.457 A major contributing factor is the involvement of the IRGC in the economy,[455] particularly in the agriculture and food sectors but also due to significant spending on the Axis of Resistance which increase the public deficit.[456]458

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Iran

Tourism had been rapidly growing before the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching nearly nine million foreign visitors in 2019, the world's third fastest-growing tourism destination.[457][458]459 In 2022 it expanded its share to 5% of the economy.[459]460 Iran's tourism experienced a growth of 43% in 2023, attracting six million foreign tourists.[460]461 The government ended visa requirements for 60 countries in 2023.[461]462

98% of visits are for leisure, while 2% are for business, indicating the country's appeal as a tourist destination.[462]463 Alongside the capital, the most popular tourist destinations are Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad.[463]464 Travellers from other West Asian countries grew 31% in the first seven months of 2023.[464]465 Domestic tourism is one of the world's largest; Iranian tourists spent $33 billion in 2021.[465][466][467]466 Iran projects investment of $32 billion in the tourism sector by 2026.[468]467

Agriculture and fishery

Main article: Agriculture in Iran

Roughly one-third of Iran's surface area is suitable for farmland.468 Only 12% of the total land area is under cultivation, and less than one-third of the cultivated area is irrigated.469 The rest is devoted to dryland farming.470 Some 92% of agricultural products depend on water.[469]471 The western and northwestern portions of the country have the most fertile soils.472 Iran's food security index stands at around 96 percent.[470][471]473

3% of Iran's land area is used for grazing and fodder production.474 Most of the grazing is done on mostly semi-dry rangeland in mountain areas and on areas surrounding the large deserts of central Iran.475 Progressive government efforts and incentives during the 1990s improved agricultural productivity, helping Iran toward its goal of reestablishing national self-sufficiency in food production.476

Access to the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and many river basins provides the potential to develop excellent fisheries.477 The government assumed control of commercial fishing in 1952.478 Expansion of the fishery infrastructure enabled Iran to harvest an estimated 700,000 tons of fish annually from the southern waters.479 Since the revolution, increased attention has been focused on producing fish from inland waters.480 Between 1976 and 2004, the combined take from inland waters by the state and private sectors increased from 1,100 tons to 110,175 tons.[472]481 Iran is the world's largest producer and exporter of caviar, exporting more than 300 tonnes annually.[473][474]482

Industry and services

Main article: Industry of Iran

In 2024, Iran was ranked 16th in global car manufacturing, ahead of the UK corpus, Italy corpus, and Russia.[475][476]483 It built 1.188 million cars in 2023, a 12% growth compared to the previous years.484 Iran exports cars to countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Belarus.485 From 2008 to 2009, Iran leaped to 28th place from 69th in annual industrial production growth rate.[477]486 Iranian contractors have been awarded several foreign tender contracts in different fields of construction of dams, bridges, roads, buildings, railroads, power generation, and gas, oil and petrochemical industries.487 In 2011, some 66 Iranian industrial companies were carrying out projects in 27 countries.[478]488 Iran exported over $20 billion worth of technical and engineering services over 2001–2011.489 The availability of local raw materials, rich mineral reserves, experienced manpower have all played crucial role in winning the bids.[479]490

45% of large industrial firms are located in Tehran, and almost half of their workers work for government.[480]491 The Iranian retail industry is largely in the hands of cooperatives, many of them government-sponsored, and of independent retailers in the bazaars.492 The bulk of food sales occur at street markets, where the Chief Statistics Bureau sets the prices.[481]493

Iran's automotive industry is the second most active industry of Iran, after its oil and gas industry.494 ITMCO is the biggest tractor manufacturer in the Middle East.495 Iran is the 12th largest automaker in the world.496 Construction is one of the most important sectors in Iran.497 The annual turnover in the construction industry amounts to US$38.4 billion.[482]498 The Central Bank of Iran indicates that 70 percent of the Iranians own homes, with huge amounts of idle money entering the housing market.[483][484]499

Iran is ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries.[485][486]500 Iran has become self-sufficient in designing, building and operating dams and power plants.501 Iran is one of the six countries in the world that manufacture gas- and steam-powered turbines.[487]502

Energy

Main article: Energy in Iran

See also: Petroleum industry in Iran

Iran is an energy superpower, and petroleum plays a key part.[488][489] as of 2023, Iran produced 4% of the world's crude oil (3.6 Moilbbl per day),[490] which generates US$36bn[491] of export revenue and is the main source of foreign currency.[492]503 Oil and gas reserves are estimated at 1.2 trn barrels;[493] Iran holds 10% of world oil reserves and 15% for gas.504 Iran ranks 3rd in oil reserves[494] and is OPEC's 2nd largest exporter.505 Iran has the 2nd largest gas reserves,[495] and 3rd largest natural gas production.506 In 2019, Iran discovered a southern oil field of 50 bn barrels.[496][497][498][499]507 In April 2024, the NIOC discovered 10 giant shale oil deposits, totaling 2.6 billion barrels.[500][501][502]508

Iran manufactures 60–70% of its industrial equipment domestically, including turbines, pumps, catalysts, refineries, oil tankers, drilling rigs, offshore platforms, towers, pipes, and exploration instruments.[503]509 The addition of new hydroelectric stations and streamlining of conventional coal and oil-fired stations increased installed capacity to 33 GW; about 75% was based on natural gas, 18% on oil, and 7% on hydroelectric power.510 In 2004, Iran opened its first wind-powered and geothermal plants, and the first solar thermal plant began in 2009.511 Iran is the world's third country to develop GTL technology.[504]512

Demographic trends and intensified industrialization have caused electric power demand to grow by 8% per year.513 The government's goal of 53 GW of installed capacity by 2010 is to be reached by bringing on line new gas-fired plants, and adding hydropower and nuclear generation capacity.514 Iran's first nuclear power plant went online in 2011.[505][506]515 Despite being an energy superpower, as of 2024, Iran suffers from an energy crisis, manifested by many power outages.[507][508]516

Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Iran

Iran has made considerable advances in science and technology, despite international sanctions.517 In the biomedical sciences, the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics has a UNESCO chair in biology.[509]518 In 2006, Iranian scientists successfully cloned a sheep at the Royan Research Centre in Tehran.[510]519 Stem cell research is among the top 10 in the world.[511]520 Iran ranks 15th in the world in nanotechnologies.[512][513][514]521 Iranian scientists outside Iran have made major scientific contributions.522 In 1960, Ali Javan co-invented the first gas laser, and fuzzy set theory was introduced by Lotfi A. Zadeh.[515]523