Iran

Iran (Persian language: ايران, meaning "land of the Aryans"), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian language: جمهوری اسلامی ايران), is a Middle Eastern Islamic Republic. It is seen as the descendant of the Ancient Persian Empire and Persians make up an ethnic majority of the Iranian population. The official language of the country is Persian. The official religion of the country is Shi'a Islam.

The Iranian Government is a complex theocratic republic, with an elected Parliament, a President who is the head of the executive branch of the Iranian Government, a Supreme Leader who is head of state and commander of the armed forces, a Council of Guardians comprising of six clerics and six jurists who interpret the constitution and also apply sharia law to Iran, and the Expediancy Council who serve as an advisory council to the Supreme Leader and are in charge of mediating disputes between the parliament and the Council of Guardians.