IRAN

was once called Persia

Arab invaders brought Islam to Persia by the seventh
century and Persians integrated it with their own culture
and practices
exploitation by the West during 1908 led to a national
consciousness

NOTES:
- So, for almost 3000 years, the country we now call Iran
was called Persia.
- Its like the Persians mixed the parts of Islamic culture
within their own traditions, which we call Shiism.
- 1908 when the discovery of oil and the exploitation by the
West led a national consciousness that has provided the
backdrop for all Iranian politics.
OIL
The British founded the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) in Abadan on the Persian Gulf,
giving them exclusive rights to Persian oil.
Britain and Russia divided Iran into spheres of influence, with Britain receiving the southern, oilrich parts.
During World War II, British and Russian forces invaded Iran, exiling its leader Reza Pahlavi,
allowing his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to succeed him.
Through Reza Shah, Iran experienced developments in infrastructure, womens education and
increased role in society, and an increase in Iranian nationalism; he also renamed Persia to Iran in
1935.
Abadan Crisis: direct result of Irans decision to nationalize oil resources in 1950; in response,
the former APOC and now Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) withdrew from Iran, and kept Iran
from refining its own oil since the company controlled the major oil rigs in Abadan.
Operation Ajax: 1953 covert CIA operation that toppled Iranian prime minister Mohammad
Mossadeq, who nationalized Iranian oil, and reestablished Mohammad Reza Pahlavis power

EVENTS
White Revolution series of land reforms instituted by
the shah in 1963, aimed at redistributing feudal land
holdings among the peasantry to gain favor.

NOTES:
- It aimed at helping the peasantry by redistributing feudal
lands, but also sought to obstruct the influence and power of
large-scale land-owners by creating a base of support among
the working class.
- Along with the revolution, the shah established social
programs for workers, women, urban and rural poor
including literacy, education and health care.
- In 1963, women gained the right to vote. So, basically,
these reforms were presumably aimed at modernizing Irans
economy.

- Ironically though, the white revolution increased the

number of people who had historically opposed the
monarchy. The working classes and intellectuals, especially
the ulama, were enraged since they found the social
programs and control of resources un-Islamic.
- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
o Denounced the shahs policies as anti-Islamic.
o Criticized shahs rule including the Status Forces
Agreement and was sent to exile on April 1964.

NOTES:
- Status Forces Agreements which set treaties between US
and Iran that granted diplomatic immunity to Americans
living in Iran (when a US military personnel commits a
crime in Iran, theyd be sent back for processing by military
courts instead of standing trial in Iran). These laws were not
reciprocated by the US which the opposition found
unreasonable.
- 1978, when the pressure of anti-shah protesters spread
throughout the country.
January 16, 1979 shah had been ousted, and Ayatollah
Khomeini emerged from exile and established a new
leadership under a novel form of Islamic government, which
he called Hookmat-e Islami.
After the overthrow, the revolutionary forces disagreed
on the composition of the new polity. Nationalist and leftist
forces weakened.

NOTES:
- Barzagan, the prime minister of the provisional
government, argued for a democratic one with multiple
parties.
- Although the opposition disagreed on the composition,
Khomeini and his supporters made it clear they didnt like
the rule to be called a democracy.
- Optional: 1979 when a student group took over the US
embassy and held Americans hostage. They wanted to barter
the return of the shah, who fled to exile first to Egypt then to
US, to face trial.
- The student group claimed the embassy was attempting a
coup to reinstall the shah.
- Religious leaders took advantage and rallied Iranians to
their side emitting hostility against the US.

- However, Khomeini did not intervene. With the lack of

cooperation, Barzagan resigned which weakened the

nationalist and leftist forces.
The Imposed War also known as The Sacred Defense
was an eight-year war against Iraq. 1980, when Saddam
Hussein invaded Iran to gain port access to the Persian
Gulf.
NOTES:
- The war threated the economy of Iran. Furthermore, there
were massive casualties. To end the war Khomeini agreed to
sign the UN peace accords aiming to end hostilities.
Khomeinis repressive tactics had two main goals: to
secure Iran outside aggression and to consolidate Islamic
governance, driven by a theory of the justness of Islamic
jurists (Guardianship of the Jurist).

NOTES:
- The theory holds that in the absence of their final prophet,
Shii Muslims needed a final arbiter of Islamic principles.
There were two distinct interpreters of Khomeinis Islamic
body: the hardliners and reformists.

NOTES:
- The hardliners believed that the government should be
beholden to a strict interpretation of Islamic principle pushed
for institutional structures that prioritize non-elected over
elected bodies and see social control.
- The reformists, however, supports institutional bodies of
elected officials and aim to limit the power of the state in
shaping social relations.
1989 when Khomeini died without leaving a successor.
Hardliners weakened the opposition and used the states
apparatus to enforce morality codes.
1997 when Mohammad Khatami won the presidential
election with 70% of the votes. Mohammad was a religious
conservative.

NOTES:
- Khatami gained the allegiance of the youth, urban
professionals and secular Iranians who wanted less religious
interference in everyday life.
- He announced relaxations of enforcement of the morality
codes.

Khatamis popularity threatened the hardliners. However,

the Revolutionary Guards threatened to enforce regulations
on the public comportment.

NOTES:
- The revolutionary guards, who were also called Pasadran,
only proved that despite Khatamis landslide election, the
elected president was not in charge and that unelected
religious leaders held final authority.
INSTITUTIONS OF IRAN
Iran is an Islamic republic
Combines elements of republican governance with Shii Islamic principles; are
integrated into, while also guiding matters unrelated to existing laws.
______________________________________
REPUBLICAN INSTITUTIONS

characterized by direct representationpresidential and parliamentary candidates

are directly elected
consists of three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary
notably, the Iranian constitution has parts which specifically promise equal
protection of non-Shii Muslims and other recognizable religious groups; each
recognized religious minority elects a representative to parliament
President
Heads the executive branch and is charged with implementing the constitution
Not the commander-in-chief of the armed forces
Qualifications for presidency include being a member of the Shii faith
Parliament
Are charged with carrying out the laws of the Islamic republic and representing the
interests of the mellat, or nation.
Judiciary
Although stated to be an independent branch, it is actually housed within the office
of the supreme leader
The head of the judiciary is responsible for drafting legislation and selecting
judges
Must be a member of the ulama and must be trained in Islamic jurisprudence and
civil law and procedure
Appointed by the supreme leader
______________________________________
ISLAMIC INSTITUTIONS

Supreme leader
Irans highest political and religious authoritymore powerful than the president
Judges whether governmental operations are in accordance with Islamic law
Has the final word in all foreign and domestic policy, particularly those concerning
these policies conform to Islamic principles
Commander-in Chief of the armed forces, appoints all senior military and police
commanders, in addition to having the power to declare war and peace
Assembly of Experts
Composed of 86 senior Islamic scholars who select, oversee, and can dismiss the
supreme leader
Supreme leader is theoretically accountable to them
Council of Guardians
Composed of twelve senior scholars of Islamic jurisprudence and civil law who
determine whether the laws and actions of government officials conform with Islamic
principles

IDENTITIES OF IRAN

NOTES:
- Iran has a great diversity of Identities which include
ethnic, religious and even organized groups.
Ethnic Identities Iran is comprise of diverse and mixed
ethnicities. (Baluchis, Kurds, Arabs, Jews, etc.)

NOTES:
- It was Reza Shah who changed the name of the country
from Persia to Iran. He noted that the term Iranian is more
inclusive as it includes all the religions.
Religious Identities official state relation of Iran is Ithna
Ashari or Twelver ShiI Islam, in which the faithful follow the
Prophet Muhammads line of succession.

NOTES:
- The Iranian constitution recognizes and affords political
representation for some religions.
- They afforded some degree of protection and participation
for all religions of a book. (Religions which are
monotheistic and possess a holy book. Includes Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam).
Social Classes landed elites were either forced to
leave the country or lost their resources through
government expropriation.

NOTES:
- Because of the White revolution, landed elites were either
forced to leave the country or lost their resources through
government expropriation. Some private lands were turn ed
over to public use.
Post-Revolutionary Hybrid Identities seemingly
traditional communal Islamic values and also individual
identities of citizens endowed with right were merged as a
consequence of the revolution.
Women in the Vanguard
Ayatollah Taleghani declared that women in Iran
should voluntarily take up the chador to show a
revolution.

NOTES:
- Ayatollah was a powerful cleric after the 1979 revolution.

- The new image of chador-attired women became a symbol

of modety and virtue, and for some, and authentic Islamic
Iranian vision of women.
- To Iranians, this image depicted the states success in
ridding Iran of western Influences.
- The 1989 Iranian constitution said that the fundamental
unit of society was the family. In Iran, the ultimate success
of the family, and hence the nation, depends on womens
moral virtue.
- For this reason, womens honor is not a private matter, but
one of a public concern.
- By recognizing womens roles in nurturing the nation and
its citizens, the state also acknowledges womens political
roles.
INTERESTS IN IRAN

NOTES:
- Many interest groups have emerged since the 1979
revolution against the shah.
Military Interests: Since the start of the Iran-Iraq War in
1980, several groups have emerged with great political and
social leverage, especially the Revolutionary Guards and
the basij.
Political Interests: Iran has a strong history of both antigovernment political mobilization and repression of
opposition groups.

NOTES:
- In the immediate post-revolutionary period, numerous
political parties emerged that spanned the field from secular
leftists, including communists to conservative clerical
groups. Over time, nationalist and secular parties were
prohibited and deemed anti-Islamic including the Tudeh or
Communist Party.
- The political parties in Iran today, however, can be divided
along a spectrum with reformists at one end and the
hardliners at the other.
Organized Interests: the Iranian constitution protects
workers rights, the constitution also states its fierce
opposition to communism.