Iran: Revolution and Conflict

Iran became an Islamic republic after the 1979 revolution. Since then, the country’s religious leadership has enforced strict laws that many Iranians — including some religious Muslims — oppose. Under their rule, elections exist, but all candidates are screened by religious authorities. Women in Iran are required by law to wear modest clothing in public, including a headscarf, and those who violate the rules may face fines or arrest by Iran’s morality police. The Internet and media are heavily monitored and censored, protests are often suppressed, and critics risk imprisonment and, in some cases, execution. Amnesty International reports that the government has executed tens of thousands of people, including political prisoners, since the revolution.

Defenders of the regime argue that the religious leaders are preserving public morality and Iran’s cultural identity, that many — and in some years most — executions are for serious crimes such as drug trafficking rather than for opposing the government, and that some opposition movements are encouraged by foreign powers, including the United States.

The Shah

The Islamic Revolution deposed Shah Reza Pahlavi. Shah is a Persian word that means king. Iran is an oil-rich nation. The Shah used Iran’s oil wealth to modernize his nation through programs similar to the reforms Ataturk introduced in Turkey decades earlier. He allowed women to vote and hold jobs, built big cities, and created a more secular or non-religious society.

The Shah was unpopular with many Iranians. Many of his closest advisors were corrupt. Opposition leaders were forced to leave the nation or face SAVAK, the monarch’s brutal secret police. In 1971, the Shah held a three-day celebration marking 2,500 years of Persian monarchy, which is believed to have cost nearly one billion dollars today. The Shah hosted leaders and celebrities from around the world as parts of his nation struggled with poverty and drought. Additionally, religious Iranians were displeased with the secular changes the Shah imposed upon them.

The Hostage Crisis

America supported the Shah, and religious leaders seized control of Iran; they denounced the United States as the “Great Satan.” Shortly after the United States allowed the Shah to come to New York City for cancer treatment, Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran, Iran’s capital and largest city, and held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year.

Conflicts

The United States officially designates Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran has provided weapons, training, and money to Hezbollah, a militant group that has called for the elimination of Israel. Iranian leaders argue that they are supporting the spread of Islamic values and removing Western influence from what they consider Muslim lands.

In March 2026, the United States and Israel began a military assault on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many of his top advisors. American President Donald Trump stated that the operations were expected to last “four to five weeks,” though they could continue longer. As of this writing, the situation in the region remains tense as events continue to unfold.