*Iran, Government
Leaders:
Supreme Leader and functional Chief of State:
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali HOSEINI-KHAMENEI (since 4
June 1989)
Head of Government:
President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989)
Member of:
CCC, CP, ESCAP, ECO, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC
chancery:
Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
(202) 965-4990
US diplomatic representation:
protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national
emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in
the white band; Allah Alkbar (God is Great) in white Arabic script is
repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along
the top edge of the red band
*Iran, Economy
Overview:
Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and
other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private
trading and service ventures. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's
real GDP grew by 10% in FY90 and 6% in FY91, according to Iranian Government
statistics. An oil windfall in 1990 combined with a substantial increase in
imports contributed to Iran's recent economic growth. Iran has also begun
implementing a number of economic reforms to reduce government intervention
(including subsidies) and has allocated substantial resources to development
projects in the hope of stimulating the economy. Lower oil revenues in 1991
- oil accounts for more than 90% of export revenues - together with a surge
in imports greatly weakened Iran's international financial position. By
mid-1992 Iran was unable to meet its obligations to foreign creditors.
Subsequently the government has tried to boost oil exports, curb imports
(especially of consumer goods), and renegotiate terms of its foreign debts.
National product:
GNP - exchange rate conversion - $90 billion (FY92)
National product real growth rate:
6% (FY91)
National product per capita:
$1,500 (FY91)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
23.7% (September 1991-September 1992)
Unemployment rate:
30% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital
expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports:
$17.2 billion (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain, and Germany
Imports:
$21.0 billion (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
commodities:
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,
technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France
External debt:
$17 billion (FY91 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 12% (1990 est.); accounts for almost 30% of GDP, including
petroleum
Electricity: 15,649,000 kW capacity; 43,600 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials,
food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production),
metal fabricating
Agriculture:
accounts for about 20% of GDP; principal products - wheat, rice, other
grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not
self-sufficient in food
*Iran, Economy
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug
trade; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.675 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million; note - aid fell sharply
following the 1979 revolution
Currency:
1 Iranian rial (IR) = 10 tomans
Exchange rates:
Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 67.095 (January 1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505
(1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988); black-market rate 1,400
(January 1991); note - in March 1993 the Iranian government announced a new
single-parity exchange rate system with a new official rate of 1,538 rials
per dollar
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
*Iran, Communications
Railroads:
4,852 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 480 km
under construction from Bafq to Bandar-e Abbas, rail construction from Bafq
to Sirjan has been completed and is operational; section from Sirjan to
Bandar-e Abbas still under construction
Highways:
140,200 km total; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel and crushed
stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
Inland waterways:
904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about
130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use
Pipelines:
crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
Ports:
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti,
Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Torkeman
(Caspian Sea port), Khorramshahr (repaired after being largely destroyed in
fighting during 1980-88 war) has been in limited operation since November
1992
Merchant marine:
135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,480,726 GRT/8,332,593 DWT; includes
39 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3
refrigerated cargo, 48 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
Airports:
total:
219
usable:
194
with permanent-surface runways:
83
with runways over 3,659 m:
16
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
20
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
70
Telecommunications:
microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran;
2,143,000 telephones (35 telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations -
77 AM, 3 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and
1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey,
Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber optic
cable to UAE
*Iran, Defense Forces
Branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force,
Revolutionary Guards (including Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval
forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 13,812,367; fit for military service 8,218,286; reach
military age (21) annually 575,392 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
hard currency expenditures on defense are 7-10% of total hard currency
expenditures; rial expenditures on defense are 8-13% of total rial
expenditures (1992 est.)
note:
conversion of rial expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing
exchange rate could produce misleading results