Iran

¹ American

[ih-ran, ih-rahn, ahy-ran] / ɪˈræn, ɪˈrɑn, aɪˈræn /

noun

a republic in SW Asia. About 635,000 sq. mi. (1,644,650 sq. km). Teheran.

Iran. ² American

abbreviation

Iranian.

Iran British

/ ɪˈrɑːn /

noun

Former name (until 1935): Persia. Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran. a republic in SW Asia, between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf: a monarchy until an Islamic revolution in 1979 headed by the Ayatollah Khomeini when the Shah was obliged to leave the country. Consists chiefly of a high central desert plateau almost completely surrounded by mountains, a semitropical fertile region along the Caspian coast, and a hot and dry area beside the Persian Gulf. Oil is the most important export. Official language: Persian (Iranian or Farsi). Official religion: Muslim majority. Currency: rial. Capital: Tehran. Pop: 79 853 900 (2013 est). Area: 1 647 050 sq km (635 932 sq miles) See also Persian Empire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Iran Cultural

Republic in the Middle East, bordered by Armenia, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south; and Iraq and Turkey to the west. Its capital and largest city is Teheran.

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In 1979, Iranian militants attacked the U.S. embassy and seized hostages, including sixty-two Americans, who were held until 1981.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ruled from 1979 until his death in 1989, imposing strict Islamic law.

The United States supported the regime of the shah (king) Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was forced by popular opposition to leave the country in 1979.

The 1990s saw some moderating elements emerge to challenge the conservative heirs to Khomeini.

The Iranian government was widely believed to have controlled the taking of U. S. hostages in Lebanon. (See Iran-Contra affair.)

Core of the ancient Persian Empire, Iran was known as Persia until 1935.

Iraq unsuccessfully invaded Iran in 1980.

Compare meaning

How does iran compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Iran vs. Iraq

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There has been no confirmation by the two Western countries of the attack on the school - located near a base of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been the target of the strikes.

From BBC

Venezuela was a key partner of Russia, China and Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Greater Los Angeles area is home to the largest concentration of people of Iranian descent outside Iran.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a defining moment for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

From BBC

But the current Iran operation is vastly more complex and could drag on for weeks.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023