Tagged: Iran

According to Paradisdachat, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a unitary theocratic republic governed by a Supreme Leader, who is the head of state and head of government. The current Supreme Leader is Ali Khamenei, who has held the position since 1989. The Iranian government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is responsible for administering the country’s day-to-day affairs and consists of the President, Vice President and Council of Ministers. The President is elected by direct popular vote for a four-year term and serves as the head of state. The President appoints and supervises ministers, signs international treaties, oversees foreign policy decisions and nominates candidates for Supreme Leader approval. The legislative branch in Iran consists of two bodies: the 290-member Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) which is elected by direct popular vote for four year terms; and the 12-member Guardian Council which reviews legislation passed by Majlis to ensure its compatibility with Islamic law (sharia). The judicial branch in Iran consists of several courts including a Supreme Court which serves as the highest court in Iran with jurisdiction over all other courts throughout the country; provincial courts; administrative courts; special Revolutionary Courts which handle offences against national security; military courts; religious courts which handle cases involving Islamic law (sharia); etc. All judges are appointed by the Head of Judiciary with approval from Parliament or Guardian Council depending on court type. In addition to these branches there are numerous other institutions involved in various aspects of governance such as local government bodies responsible for providing services to citizens at a local level; an independent Election Commission responsible for conducting free and fair elections; an independent Anti-Money Laundering Agency tasked with preventing money laundering activities; Financial Services Authority responsible for regulating financial services industry; an independent Human Rights Commission responsible for protecting human rights etc.. Overall, Iran’s government structure reflects its commitment towards Islam while ensuring efficient administration through bureaucracy thus ensuring good governance in country. Iran’s foreign relations are complex and multifaceted. Iran has traditionally been a major regional power in the Middle East, and it plays an important role in international affairs. It is a founding member of the United Nations, and is a signatory to numerous international treaties and conventions. Iran’s foreign policy is largely based on its desire to protect its sovereignty, maintain regional stability, promote economic development, and enhance its international standing. In pursuit of these goals, Iran has sought to forge strategic partnerships with other countries in the region as well as internationally. These include Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria among others. Iran also enjoys close relations with many countries in the Persian Gulf region such as Bahrain and the UAE. At the same time, Iran has had strained relations with some of its neighbors including Saudi Arabia which it accuses of supporting terrorism and attempting to undermine its influence in the region through proxy wars. Similarly it has had tense relations with Israel due to their mutual hostility towards each other. In terms of international affairs, Iran is a member of several major organizations such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) among others. It also participates actively in UN sponsored peacekeeping operations around the world. Economically speaking, Iran seeks to increase trade ties with other countries around the world through free trade agreements as well as bilateral investment treaties. It also encourages foreign investment from businesses from various countries including China and India which are two of its largest trading partners at present. In addition to this it has signed various energy related agreements with Russia which provide Tehran access to Russian technology while also increasing energy security for both countries. Finally, on human rights issues Iran generally opposes any interference from external actors into domestic matters while at the same time seeking to promote fundamental human rights within its borders through increased investments into healthcare services and education infrastructure among others initiatives designed to improve living standards for all Iranians regardless of religious or ethnic background. See recipesinthebox for Iran defense and foreign policy.