The Government of Iran

 

The Government of Iran

Overview

  • Capital: Tehran
  • Administrative regions: 31 provinces
  • Government & legal system: Islamic republic combining an elected president/parliament with overarching clerical authority (the Supreme Leader); civil law system with an Islamic (Sharia) law basis.
  • Head of state / government: Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader (ultimate constitutional authority); Masoud Pezeshkian, President (head of government) (official page)
  • Official language(s): Persian/Farsi (official)
  • National Day: February 11 (Islamic Revolution Day, 1979)
  • Independence: Not applicable — ancient state, not a colonial-independence case; 1979 marks the founding of the current Islamic Republic
  • Other official holidays: Nowruz (Mar 20–21), Islamic Republic Day (Apr 1)
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official site)
  • Regional / international memberships: United Nations/ UN, Organization of Islamic Cooperation/ OIC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization/ SCO, Economic Cooperation Organization/ ECO, Non-Aligned Movement
  • Visa / entry requirements: E-visa system available for most nationalities. (visa info)
  • Currency: Iranian rial (IRR) — notes depict mosques, Islamic Revolution landmarks, and national monuments; individual portraiture is not used under current Islamic Republic convention.
  • Flag symbolism: Horizontal green-white-red tricolor with the national emblem centered in white and ‘Allahu Akbar’ repeated 22 times in Kufic script along the green and red borders — green represents Islam and growth, white represents peace, red represents courage and martyrdom.