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Iran
Iran , officially Islamic Republic of Iran, republic (2005 est. pop. 68,018,000), 636,290 sq mi (1,648,000 sq km), SW Asia. The country's name was changed from Persia to Iran in 1935. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea; on the east by Afghanistan ...
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Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr , city (1991 pop. 34,750), Khuzestan prov., SW Iran, at the confluence of the Karun River and the Shatt al Arab, near the Persian Gulf. It is a busy port. Its development dates to the late 19th cent., when steam navigation on the Karun was started. The city was known as Muhammerah until...
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Hashemi Rafsanjani
Hashemi Rafsanjani (Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani) , 1934-, Iranian religious and political leader, president of Iran (1989-97). A Shiite clergyman and supporter of Ayotallah Khomeini , Rafsanjani was imprisoned several times during the 1960s and 70s for his political activities. After the ouster ...
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Tehran
Tehran or Teheran , city (1991 pop. 6,475,527), capital of Iran and Tehran prov., N Iran, near Mt. Damavand. It is Iran's largest city and its administrative, commercial, and industrial center. More than half of the country's industry is based in Tehran. Manufactures include electrical equipment...
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Qeshm
Qeshm or Qishm , largest island of Iran, c.500 sq mi (1,300 sq km), S Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. It is mostly rocky and has little vegetation; dates and fruits are raised. Qeshm, at the eastern end of the island, is the largest town.
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Bushehr
Bushehr or Bushire , city (1991 pop. 132,824), SW Iran, on the Persian Gulf. It is one of the chief ports of Iran, handling about 75% of Iran's foreign trade, and is the terminus of a trade route from Shiraz, Esfahan, and Tehran. An oil center for the region, Bushehr has a thermoelectric power p...
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Reza Shah Pahlevi
Reza Shah Pahlevi , 1877-1944, shah of Iran (1925-41). He began his career as an army officer and gained a reputation for great valor and leadership. He headed a coup in 1921 and became prime minister of the new regime in 1923. He negotiated the evacuation (1921) of the Russian troops and (1924) of ...
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Abadan
Abadan , city (1991 pop. 84,774), Khuzestan prov., SW Iran, on Abadan Island, in the delta of the Shatt al Arab, at the head of the Persian Gulf. It is the terminus of major oil pipelines and is an important oil refining and shipping center. Abadan Island was ceded to Iran by Turkey in 1847. Abadan ...
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Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War 1980-88, protracted military conflict between Iran and Iraq. It officially began on Sept. 22, 1980, with an Iraqi land and air invasion of western Iran, although Iraqi spokespersons maintained that Iran had been engaging in artillery attacks on Iraqi towns since Sept. 4. Iraqi preside...
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Terry Waite
Terry Waite (Terence Waite), 1939-, British church official. An adviser to Robert Runcie , the Archbishop of Canterbury, he successfully negotiated the release of British hostages in Iran (1981) and Libya (1985). His later efforts to free U.S. hostages in Beirut were unsuccessful and were compromi...
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