Iran

Iran is a country located in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan, covering an area of approximately 1.65 million square kilometers. As of 2025, Iran has a population of over 89 million, with Persian Farsi as the official language alongside Azeri, Kurdish, Gilaki, and other languages. The country features a rugged, mountainous rim with a high central basin of deserts and mountains, experiencing a mostly arid or semiarid climate with subtropical conditions along the Caspian coast. Tehran serves as the capital, and the government operates as a theocratic republic.

Iran has a state-controlled economy with a GDP of $436.91 billion and a GDP per capita of $16,200, heavily dependent on petroleum, petrochemicals, and natural gas. Key industries include petrochemicals, fertilizer, textiles, cement, food processing, and metal fabrication, while agricultural products include wheat, sugarcane, milk, sugar beets, rice, and pistachios. Natural resources are abundant, including petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, and zinc. The unemployment rate is 8.3% as of 2025, with life expectancy at 77.9 years. Iran faces significant economic challenges including international sanctions, massive inflation due to exchange rate depreciation, and increasing poverty.