Iran

The Iran–Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan conflict was an armed conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the ethnic secessionist... Kurdish guerrilla group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan . The group had been carrying out attacks in the Kurdistan Province of Iran and other Kurdish-inhabited areas, and is closely affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party operating against Turkey. Like the present PKK goals in Turkey, PJAK leaders say their long-term goals are to establish an autonomous Kurdish region within the Iranian state. It is mainly focused on replacing Iran's theocracy with a democratic and federal government, where self-rule is granted to all ethnic minorities of Iran, including Sunni, Arabs, Azeris, and Kurds. Since the Iranian Revolution, there has been an ongoing conflict between Iran’s central government and Kurdish political movements rooted in the predominantly Kurdish region of western Iran. The level of violence has ebbed and flowed with peaks of serious conflict in 1979, the early eighties and the early nineties.
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Following the U.S.-launched 2003 invasion of Iraq, the situation deteriorated, and by 2007, the intercommunal violence between Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a... factions was described by the National Intelligence Estimate as having elements of a civil war. In a January 10, 2007 address to the American people, President George W. Bush stated that "80% of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital. This violence is splitting Baghdad into sectarian enclaves, and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis." Two polls of Americans conducted in 2006 found that between 65% to 85% believed Iraq was in a civil war; however, a similar poll of Iraqis conducted in 2007 found that 61% did not believe that they were in a civil war. In October 2006, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Iraqi government estimated that more than 365,000 Iraqis had been displaced since the 2006 bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, bringing the total number of Iraqi refugees to more than 1.6 million. By 2008, the UNHCR raised the estimate of refugees to a total of about 4.7 million .
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The 2001 uprising in Herat was a coordinated insurrection and uprising in the Afghan city of Herat as part of the United States war in Afghanistan.... The city was captured on November 12 by Northern Alliance forces as well as Special Forces of both the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The U.S. Special Operations teams consisted of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta force under the command of CENTCOM General Tommy Franks. Iranian forces consisted of agents of the Qods Force under the command of Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander of the Pasdaran. The Northern Alliance faction consisted of over 5,000 militiamen under the command of Ismail Khan, a commander in the previous Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and former governor of Herat before the Taliban came into power in 1995. The plan, organized by General Franks and General Safavi, was for Iranian Special Forces to discreetly enter the city and form an insurrection against the Taliban. This sudden event was to coincide with the entrance of Ismail Khan’s band of Northern Alliance militia members into the city. Meanwhile, a team of U.S.
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The Civil War in Tajikistan began in May 1992 when ethnic groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions, which were underrepresented in the... ruling elite, rose up against the national government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, in which people from the Leninabad and Kulyab regions dominated. Politically, the discontented groups were represented by liberal democratic reformists and Islamists, who fought together and later organized under the banner of the United Tajik Opposition. By June 1997 fifty to one hundred thousand people had been killed. President Rahmonov, UTO leader Sayid Abdulloh Nuri, and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Gerd Merrem signed the "General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan" and the "Moscow Protocol" on 27 June 1997 in Moscow, Russia, ending the war. Tensions began in the spring of 1992 after opposition members took to the streets in demonstrations against the results of the 1991 presidential election.
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The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes. The World Bank's... official goal is the reduction of poverty. By law, all of its decisions must be guided by a commitment to promote foreign investment, international trade and facilitate capital investment. The World Bank differs from the World Bank Group, in that the World Bank comprises only two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association , whereas the latter incorporates these two in addition to three more: International Finance Corporation , Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency , and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes . The World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. The International Monetary Fund, a related institution, is the second. Delegates from many countries attended the Bretton Woods Conference. The most powerful countries in attendance were the United States and United Kingdom, which dominated negotiations. Although both are based in Washington, D.C.
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The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but... representing 44 nations. Founded in 1943, it became part of the United Nations in 1945, was especially active in 1945 and 1946, and largely shut down operations in 1947. Its purpose was to "plan, co-ordinate, administer or arrange for the administration of measures for the relief of victims of war in any area under the control of any of the United Nations through the provision of food, fuel, clothing, shelter and other basic necessities, medical and other essential services". Its staff of civil servants included 12,000 people, with headquarters in New York. Funding came from many nations, and totaled $3.7 billion, of which the United States contributed $2.7 billion; Britain $625 million and Canada $139 million. UNRRA cooperated closely with dozens of volunteer charitable organizations, who sent hundreds of their own agencies to work alongside UNRRA.
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The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security,... economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions. There are currently 193 member states, including every internationally recognised sovereign state in the world but Vatican City. From its offices around the world, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout the year.
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The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental organization involving seven Asian and three Eurasian nations, part of the... South-central Asian Union. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc organization under the United Nations Charter . The common objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union. ECO's secretariat and cultural department are located in Tehran, its economic bureau is in Turkey and its scientific bureau is situated in Pakistan. The organization's population is 416,046,863 and the area is 8,620,697 km². The organization was founded by Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey for the purpose of promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the member states. It was the successor organisation of what was the Regional Cooperation for Development , founded in 1964, which ended activities in 1979.
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University of Sistan and Baluchestan is a university in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran. The University of Sistan and Baluchestan was... founded in 1974 originally named University of Balochistan in Zahedan with initial opening of the Faculty of Engineering and enrolments in Road and Construction Engineering. It did not take long for the university to become a higher education hub in the region. The next expansions to the university were the Faculty of Nautical Science in Chabahar in 1978, the faculty of Agriculture in Zahedan in 1978 , and the Faculty of Basic Science in Zahedan in 1989. In 1991, Zahedan Teacher Training University was merged with the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, followed by the establishment of several other faculties, including Economics and Management, Fine Arts, Iranshahr Teacher Training, Earth Science and Geography, Educational Science and Psychology, and Computer and Information Technology.
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The University of Tabriz is a public university in Tabriz, Iran. It is the second-oldest university in Iran after the University of Tehran and the... biggest academic institution in northwestern Iran and one of five biggest universities in Iran. Furthermore, the University of Tabriz is definitely well-known because of its all-round students who have got high ranks in the Iranian Entrance Exam to Universities to enter this university. The university was initially established as the University of Azerbaijan on June 12, 1947, and entitled as a university on October 30, 1947, which is now officially set as inauguration date of the university. The university was renamed the University of Tabriz following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The university has 480 academic staff, of whom some 258 are Doctor of Philosophy holders. Out of this teaching staff, 41 are full professors, 66 are associate professors, 151 are assistant professors and the remaining 222 are instructors. Some 857 administrative personnel are supporting academic activities. The university is ranked among top-ten universities of Iran.
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University of Isfahan is a state-operated university in Iran. It is one of the most prominent science and engineering schools in Iran and is the... largest university in Isfahan Province in Iran. The university is located in the southern section of the city of Isfahan. University of Isfahan is located in Azadi square of Isfahan, in the middle of the city has another campus in Khansar. University of Isfahan offers undergraduate degrees in 70 fields and graduate degrees in 55 areas. Students come from all over the world to study a wide variety of courses at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels in full time and part time. The University has seven faculties and thirty-four departments, and is still expanding. The university includes more than five hundred full time academic members. The student body consists of 12000 undergraduate students and 4500 graduate students from all the 30 provinces. Undergraduate admission to University of Isfahan is limited to the top 10% of students who pass the national entrance examination administered yearly by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education.
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Kamran Delan is a newly emerged Iranian rock singer but a well known behind the scene artist who writes, composes, arranges and performs his own... music is a truly unique artist who has impressed in Persian Musicmarket in 2005. The Delan family of Abadan, a prosperous and passionate coastal city in Iran, brought forth a son that has become the newest gift to the world of music. Kamran was born in a family rich in love and music. From the gleaming age of five, and under the guidance of his uncle who was an accomplished music teacher, Kamran became immersed in the world of music. His exceptional skills earned him the attention of the eminent musicians of the time. He was placed in the prestigious Khaneye Javanan and Kakh Javanan music societies where he was surrounded by the brightest and the most talented young Iranian musicians of the time. By age 13, he had already formed a music band that enjoyed a local popularity in Amir Abad of Tehran. Soon after, Kamran and his fellow musician friends, Farrokh, Bijan, and Bahram, formed a band called 'La Lupa', an Iranian band with a fresh Italian influence.
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Nāsser Taghvāí is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. Born in Abadan, Iran, he graduated from the Faculty of Literature in... Tehran University. After early experiences as a storywriter, he began filming documentaries in 1967.. He made his debut, Tranquility in the Presence of Others, in 1970 and gained the attention of Iranian critics. His concern for the ethnography and atmosphere of southern Iran is notable in his films. Most of his works have been based on novels. Captain Khorshid is an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not, which won the third prize at the 48th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland in 1988. In 1999 he directed a segment of the film Tales of Kish, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
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Fathali Oveisi is an American actor, director and former-Architect of Iranian descent. He has also directed two feature films. Oveisi was born in... 1945 in Orlando, Florida, United States to wealthy Iranian parents. He received his BA in Architecture from State University of Texas in 1972. He emigrated to Iran in 1975, in order to carry on his studies and received his MA degree from The University of Tehran. After five years of owning a property company in Mashhad, Iran, his company became bankrupt due to the limitations of resources that Iran had during the Iran-Iraq war. After which, he became associated with the acting industry where he embarked a successful career in the television industry.
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Rūhollāh Khāleqi , also spelled as Khaleghi, was a prominent Iranian musician, composer, conductor and author. Ruhollah Khāleghi... was born in Mahan, a small town near Kerman, in a musically minded family. He first became acquainted with the tar, but later started to learn to play the violin. As soon as Ali-Naqi Vaziri established his School of Music, Khāleghi left school and joined Vaziri's school, where he studied for eight years. Soon he became his master's assistant and was placed in charge of teaching music theory. He later continued his education and obtained a B.A. degree in Persian Language and Literature from the University of Tehran. In 1944 Khāleghi established the National Music Society and in 1949, thanks to the efforts of this great artist, the School of National Music was founded. After his first journey to the former U.S.S.R. in 1955, he became involved in the Iran-Soviet Society and was selected as a member of its Board of Directors. He also began to serve as the director of the Payām-e-Novin Magazine.
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Afghanistan /æfˈɡænɨstæn/ , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the... centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With an estimated population of about 29 million, it has an area of 647,500 km , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the southeast, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. The territory that now forms Afghanistan has been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation from as far back as 50,000 BC. Urban civilization may have begun in the area as early as 3,000 to 2,000 BC. The country sits at an important geostrategic location that connects the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which has been home to various peoples through the ages. The land has witnessed many military conquests since antiquity, notably by Alexander the Great, Chandragupta Maurya, and Genghis Khan.
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Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign country in South Asia. It has a 1,046-kilometre coastline along the Arabian... Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India in the east; Afghanistan and Iran in the west; and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan lies adjacent to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. In addition, Oman is also located in maritime vicinity and shares a marine border with Pakistan. Strategically, Pakistan is situated at the crossroads of the important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The region forming modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures including the neolithic Mehrgarh and the bronze era Indus Valley Civilisation. Subsequently it was the recipient of Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures through several invasions and/or settlements.
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Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq Jumhūriyyat al-‘Irāq, Kurdish: كؤماری... عێراق‎‎, Komara Îraqê is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert. Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Jordan to the southwest and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km on the northern Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad is in the center-east of the country. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia. Historically, Iraq has been known by the Greek toponym 'Mesopotamia' and has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC.
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Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western... Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the northwest. Azerbaijan has an ancient and historic cultural heritage. The country was among the birthplaces of mankind and is located at the heart of ancient civilizations. Furthermore the country is known to be among the most progressive and secular Islamic societies. Aside from having been the first Muslim country to have operas, theater plays, and a democratic republic, Azerbaijan today is among the Muslim countries where support for secularism and tolerance is the highest.
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