Modern IranModern Iran

Mr. Bach Hudson High School

Accelerated World History

PersiaPersia• Greatest Empire to

that date in the 5th century B.C.– Land of Cyrus the

Great, Darius the Great, and Xerxes

– Land of the Prophet Zoroaster

• Later the seat of the Safavid Empire– Shi’a Islam

Iran – “Land of the Aryans”Iran – “Land of the Aryans”• Constitutional

Monarchy (Shah) established in 1905

• Renamed Iran by Reza Shah to modernize the country

• Anglo-Soviet Invasion of 1941

Mohammed MossadeghMohammed Mossadegh• Democratically

elected Prime Minister of Iran– Very popular with

the people

• Purges military of corruption

• Nationalizes foreign oil fields

OPERATION AJAXOPERATION AJAX• CIA-sponsored coup• U.S. supports

strengthens the Shah

Mossadegh on Trial

Kermit Roosevelt

Shah of Iran

Dictatorship of Shah Reza Dictatorship of Shah Reza PahlaviPahlavi

• Lives lavishly• Establishes close

ties to the West.• Represses

political dissidents

• People live in poverty.

The Iranian Revolution 1979The Iranian Revolution 1979

Shah flees to U.S.

Ayatollah Khomenei

Iranian Hostage Crisis

A Dictatorship for a A Dictatorship for a DictatorshipDictatorship

Strong Constitutional Monarch

Islamic Republic of Iran (Theocracy)

A Terrorist StateA Terrorist State• Support for Hezbollah

in Lebanon• Support for the PLO in

Palestine

Arafat and Khomenei

The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)• US supports

BOTH Saddam Hussein and Iran– 375,000 Iraqi

causalities– Over 1 million

Iranian causalities

George W. Bush’s Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and

Saddam Hussein

The Government of IranThe Government of Iran• Assembly of Experts

(the Mullahs) choose the Supreme Leader and review laws for religious compliance

• President– Chosen by universal

suffrage and serves a 4 year term

– Candidates approved by Mullahs

Supreme Leader

Ali Khamenei

President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iranian Nuclear AmbitionsIranian Nuclear Ambitions

Pinnochiayatollah

January 28, 2005 – Birmingham News

Iranian Nuclear AmbitionsIranian Nuclear Ambitions

Al-Jazeerah

Hope in the YouthHope in the Youth