Iran, the second-largest country in the Middle East, is a multi-ethnic Islamic theocracy with the ultimate decision maker being the country's prime religious authority, its Supreme Leader. It infuses elements of democracy, such as an elected president. With one of the longest and storied histories of civilization, the current Islamic Republic of Iran was established by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution. Kohmeini became Iran's first Supreme Leader.
Iran is considered authoritarian in its suppression of rights for women and children and the violent squandering of opposing political protests.
Strategically located between the water bodies of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Caspian sea, it is bordered by key middle-eastern players, such as Turkey, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iran holds the world's second-largest natural gas supply as well as a massive oil reserve, a key element often discussed in its role in international relations and political leverage.
Before 1979, Iran maintained friendly relations with Israel via pro-Western leader Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. However, after the Islamic Revolution, Iran severed all ties with Israel and by the 1990s relations turned hostile.
Iran has escalated its nuclear technology development over the years while also funding and supporting Islamic-extremist proxy groups much closer to Israel, such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hezbollah.
The advancement was “small,” and Netanyahu said that he did not know how much longer the negotiations would take in order to reach an agreement.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the United States, such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war.
A report this week indicates that some of these militias and groups have stepped back from attacks in the wake of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
Katz's comments came just hours after the Israeli air force intercepted a drone launched from Yemen that was headed toward Israel.
With flights between Tehran and Beirut resuming, the Islamic Republic may look to turn the Lebanese capital into a center for its deliveries.
Pro-Iranian Iraqi militias have reportedly agreed to halt actions against Israel, according to Hezbollah-affiliated media, while maintaining their anti-Israel stance.
UNIFIL calls on IDF to withdraw from Lebanon • Security forces kill head of Hamas's security dept. • Mossad reveals details of pager attack • Israel still waiting for list of live hostages
An IRGC officer has been charged in a US citizen's 2022 murder in Baghdad and faces a life sentence for an alleged terror plot.
During high-level discussions within Israel’s political and security leadership, the Mossad chief reportedly called for a direct strike on Iran following Houthi attacks.
On Saturday, the US military said it conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility operated by Houthis in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
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