What was iran called before

It is said that some German friends of the ambassador persuaded him that, as with the advent of Reza Shah, Persia had turned a new leaf in its history and had freed itself from the pernicious influences of Britain and Russia, whose interventions in Persian affairs had practically crippled the country under the Qajars, it was only fitting that the country be called by its own name, "Iran.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent out a circular to all foreign embassies in Tehran, requesting that the country thenceforth be called "Iran. After years of tenuously holding onto power with the backing of the U. With that, the pro-West regime of the shah gave way to an official anti-American stance that was openly encouraged by the mullahs and Iran became an Islamic republic.

Under a new constitution, a popularly elected president served as head of government but the highest state authority became the Supreme Leader, a powerful post filled by a cleric and empowered to name leaders of the armed forces, the chief judge and other high ranking officials.

The hostage taking lasted days, and included a failed rescue attempt. The situation strained relations between the two countries. Resolution came only when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as U. Meanwhile, even as Iran was occupied with the hostage-taking, tensions with its neighbour, Iraq, were escalating.

Iraq invaded Iran in the fall of over a conflict sparked in part by a disagreement over the border in the Shatt-al-Arab waterway area. The bloody, eight-year conflict would end up resolving little but took a toll on the nation. Reliable casualty counts are hard to come by, but estimates range from , to two million. Toward the end of his reign, Nasir al-Din Shah grants several concessions to European companies, fueling opposition to the regime.

An atmosphere of public discontent, social ferment, and repression spurs protest movements and finally the Constitutional Revolution. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Iran Persia , — A.

Overview The Qajar dynasty brings to an end a long period of political instability, reuniting Iranian territory after the disunity and warfare that characterized much of the eighteenth century.

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