SUMMARY
Iran was ruled by monarchy from 1925 to 1979; Reza Khan reigned as Resa Shah Pahlavi until 1941, when he was deposed and replaced by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1979, the "Iranian Revolution" abolished the monarchy and replaced it with a combination of parliamentary democracy with Shiite Islamic theocracy. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the religious leader credited with coordinating the revolution, served as the head of state from 1979 until his death in 1989. Subsequently, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took over the role and as of 2019, remained the head of state. In Iran, the occupant of this position is referred to as the “Supreme Leader” and holds ultimate authority over the government and state institutions.
The Government of Iran had 523 000 active armed troops in 2019. It also declared itself a country with nuclear capabilities in 2010 after successfully enriching uranium to 20 percent. Although it agreed to a deal limiting these capabilities being pursued in 2015, the Government of the USA’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 left the deal in uncertainty.
The following actors provided support to the government during armed conflicts:
As part of wider dynamics in the Gulf region, between 1981 and 1983, the governments of Syria and Libya supplied Iran with Soviet-made weaponry during the conflict between Iran and Iraq. The Syrian government also provided intelligence material and logistics, which was motivated by the need to counteract pressure it was receiving from Iraq and Libya supported Iran politically through various statements against the [Government of Iraq](/#actor/116] as well as by putting themselves at odds with other Arab states. They further sold weapons to Iran, especially SCUD missiles, throughout 1986 and 1987.
In a similar fashion, the Iraqi Kurdish group, KDP, assisted the Iranian government in its conflict against the Iranian Kurdish group, KDPI, by providing access to military and intelligence infrastructure in 1982 (for more information, see (Government of Iran – KDPI)[/#/statebased/406]). This strategic support was motivated by the Kurdish issue ongoing simultaneously during the Iran and Iraq conflict, its rationale being that strengthening the Iranian government by allowing it to weaken its other enemies would enable it to weaken the Iraqi government.
In 2008, the Government of Turkey provided Iran with access to military or intelligence infrastructure to support its suppression of the Iranian Kurdish group, PJAK. This was motivated by its own internal problem with the Turkish Kurdish group, PKK, which was closely connected to PJAK. There were reports that the two countries launched a common offensive against both Kurdish groups by sharing access to military and intelligence infrastructure, based on a memorandum of understanding signed in April 2008.
