Iran-Politics

= = = = Iran's political history has been filled with protests, revolutions, and war. In January of 1978 the Iranians began to take to the streets in protest of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his laws, and his close relations with the United States. An underground group was formed called the //Fedaiyan-e Islam// and members of this organization made an attempt on Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar's life. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi responded by executing some of the group’s members. While the Shah had the support of most of the upper and middle classes, the less wealthy, underprivileged citizens were unhappy. As the repression continued the Shah began to allow laws to pass, which conflicted with the beliefs of the ultra-conservative Muslims, who make up a vast majority of the population. The protests and strikes grew larger andbecame more frequent until the Shah went into exile and the members of the military that remained loyal to him surrendered to rebel forces after days of intense fighting. Shortly after, in 1979 young revolutionaries stormed the U.S embassy in Iran holding personnel captive for 444 days. In 1980 Iraq invaded Iran on September 22 following a long history of border disputes and other disagreements. The war raged on for 8 years costing nearly a million lives and billions of dollars in damages. See documentary on Iran-Iraq war. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v The Iraq-Iran war was finally forfeited after the involvement of superpowers and the United Nations. The current government is based on a constitution formed after 1979 and operates under the authority of **Seyyed Ali Khamene'i.**