Iran

Vital Statistics for Iran's Economy, Literacy, Poverty, Women and other Social Indicators

Definition and brief history of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations agency.

A primer on why Iran's Green Revolution protesters are and what they want -- namely, an end to the regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but not an end to the Islamic Republic.

Does Iran have nuclear weapons? No. Does it have the capability to build them? Speculation aside, nobody really knows.

Cold War Lessons: How Richard Nixon's Soviet Union policy Informs Barack Obama's Iran Policy

Why Sunni Arab regimes, avowed enemies of the Shiite regime in Iran, fear democracy in Iran even more.

Brief description and explanation of Iran's Basij vigilantes, the violent, unpredictable shock troops of the Iranian regime.

The Islamic Republic of Iran's governing structure can seem incomprehensible. It isn't. Think of it as a combination of the appearances of democracy with the exigencies of theocracy: the entire government, byzantine as it may seem, is designed to reinforce the power and authority of the "Supreme Leader" of the revolution. Within that structure Iranian politics can be a varied, surprising mix of …

A profile of Iran's Mir-Hossein Moussavi, an anti-Western radical mysteriously turned reformist in his bid to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's president.

Profile of Iranian President and firebrand Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, including details on "wiping Israel off the map" and Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denying.

The verdict on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: foil of an insecure regime or genuine danger to the Middle East?

A primer on who rules Iran: The Islamic Republic's constitutional power structure from the supreme leader to the presidency, the parliament, the assembly of experts and other bodies.

A brief explanation of the power and purpose of Iran's 12-member, appointed Council of Guardians.

A brief explanation of the power and purpose of Iran's 86-member, elected Assembly of Experts, which elects the Supreme Leader.

Does Iran pose a nuclear threat to Israel, or a proxy threat through Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon? The quick answer is no. Read the details.

Who, if anyone but Iran, has the right to decide whether Iran should have nuclear weapons?

Do the West or Israel have any standing to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons? Is a nuclear Iran more dangerous than a pre-emptive war on Iran?

Analysis of Obama's Iran-Norwuz video and the Obama's Diplomatic opening: can it work?

It's true: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's "supreme leader," has a web site. Two, actually. Translated in 13 languages. They're windows into an odd chamber.

Profile of Iran's "Supreme Leader," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, self-styled guardian of the Islamic Republic's revolution.

Shiite Islam, the Iranian Revolution and the Concept of Supreme Leader: an invention of Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini.

An Offer of Peace in Obama's Nowruz Message to Iranians: The full text of President Obama's March 20, 2009 message to Iran.

Iran's Mohammed Khatami: Profile of a Reformist Philosopher-Cleric and Iranian President (1997-2005).

Terry Anderson, held hostage almost seven years by Islamist militants in Lebanon, remembers his ordeal without vengeance.

A chronology and list of Shiites' Twelve Imams, founders of Islam's Twelver Shiitism, from Ali ibn Abu Talib to the ever-evanescent "mahdi."

Definition of Twelver Shiites, or Ithna ‘Ashariyah or Imamiyah, a major subdivision of of Shiitism's spiritual suburbs.

Definition of Imam, or Khalifah, in Islam.

Your Guide to the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Iran: IranÂ’s Olympic history and country profile, and IranÂ’s athletes at the 2008 Olympics by name and by sport, or game.

Iran has been aiming to become a nuclear power for more than two decades. The question has always been: for peaceful or offensive means? Iranian leaders themselves have been of two minds an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Iran in brief: government structure, the economy, the military, the state of human rights, and Iranian history summed up.