Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

Trump warns Iran’s president in all-caps tweet to stop …

WASHINGTON -- President Trump warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani early Monday that he will face dire consequences for threatening the United States. Mr. Trump tweeted in all capital letters about the dangers to Iran of making hostile threats after Rouhani said Sunday, "American must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."

Within hours, Iranian state-owned news agency IRNA dismissed Mr. Trump's tweet, describing it as a "passive reaction" to Rouhani's remarks.

The agency, a government mouthpiece, also said Monday that Mr. Trump's comment was only mimicking and copying Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had in the past warned the West to "never threaten an Iranian."

Mr. Trump earlier this year pulled the United States out of the international deal meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and ordered increased American sanctions.

Rouhani had warned Mr. Trump Sunday to stop "playing with the lion's tail" and threatening Iran, "or else you will regret it."

Mr. Trump has suggested Iranian leaders are "going to call me and say 'let's make a deal'" but Iran has rejected talks.

Rouhani has previously lashed out against Mr. Trump for threatening to re-impose the sanctions, as well as for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and banning travel to the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries.

Mr. Trump's early Monday tweet suggested he has little patience with the trading of hostile messages with Iran.

Mr. Trump has a history of firing off heated tweets that seem to quickly escalate long-standing disputes with leaders of nations at odds with the U.S.

In the case of North Korea, the public war of words cooled quickly and gradually led to the high profile summit and denuclearization talks.

Of the tweet by Mr. Trump, the Reuters news service says, "The escalation in rhetoric came as the Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter."

In California Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was strongly critical of Tehran.

He called the religious leaders of Iran "hypocritical holy men" who amassed vast sums of wealth while allowing their people to suffer, part of a highly critical broadside issued as the republic approached the 40th anniversary of its Islamic revolution and the U.S. prepared to reimpose the economic sanctions.

In a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Pompeo castigated Iran's political, judicial and military leaders, too, accusing several by name of participating in widespread corruption. He also said the government has "heartlessly repressed its own people's human rights, dignity and fundamental freedoms."

He said despite poor treatment by their leaders, "the proud Iranian people are not staying silent about their government's many abuses."

"And the United States under President Trump will not stay silent either. In light of these protests and 40 years of regime tyranny, I have a message for the people of Iran: The United States hears you," he said. "The United States supports you. The United States is with you."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr. Trump for his "strong stance" on Iran.

Netanyahu said Mr. Trump and his secretary of state were taking a clear position against "Iranian aggression" after years in which the "regime was pampered by world powers."

The Israeli prime minister spoke at his weekly Cabinet meeting Monday, after Mr. Trump's tweet.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Monday that the president was responding to Iran and that he's "not going to allow them to continue to make threats against America. If anybody is inciting anything look no further than to Iran."

Asked if he had consulted with this national security team before tweeting the edict, Sanders said that the president consults with his national security team "on a daily basis."

National security adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Monday that he had spoken to Mr. Trump over the last several days, "and President Trump told me that if Iran does anything at all to the negative, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid before."

A high-ranking Iranian officer says Mr. Trump's Monday warning was nothing but "psychological warfare."

Gen. Gholam Hossein Gheibparvar, the chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force, also said Monday that Mr. Trump "won't dare" take any military action against Iran. Gheibparvar's comments were reported by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told The Associated Press he doubted it would come to a military confrontation between Iran and the United States, despite the escalating rhetoric.

Falahatpisheh says Mr. Trump and his Iranian counterpart "express themselves through speeches since diplomatic channels are closed" as the two countries haven't had diplomatic relations since 1979.

He says that unlike North Korea, "Iran never moved toward a nuclear bomb" and that therefore, "Iran is angry since Trump responded to Tehran's engagement diplomacy by pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear deal."

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Trump warns Iran's president in all-caps tweet to stop ...

Iran dismisses angry Trump warning against threatening U.S …

WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran on Monday dismissed an angry warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that Tehran risked dire consequences the like of which few throughout history have suffered before if it made threats against the United States.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back at Trumps warning, which the U.S. leader delivered written in capital letters in a late-night tweet.

COLOR US UNIMPRESSED: The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago. And Iranians have heard them - albeit more civilized ones - for 40 yrs. Weve been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, incl our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries, Zarif wrote on Twitter.

BE CAUTIOUS! he wrote in capital letters, echoing exact words from Trump.

Iran has been under increasing U.S. pressure and possible sanctions since Trumps decision in May to withdraw the United States from a 2015 agreement between world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

Bitter foes since Irans 1979 revolution, Washington and Tehran have cranked up talk of war in recent days.

The Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups.

Despite the heightened rhetoric, both sides have reasons to want to avoid starting a conflict.

Trumps words appeared to be in response to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani saying that hostile policies toward Tehran could lead to the mother of all wars.

In his tweet directed at Rouhani, Trump wrote: Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before. We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence & death. Be cautious!

Rouhani had told a gathering of Iranian diplomats on Sunday: Mr Trump, dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret.

America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars, said Rouhani, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

Trump is under pressure from U.S. lawmakers for taking too soft a line against Russia in a summit last week with President Vladimir Putin.

President Trump has failed to assure Americans he would side with us over Russia. To distract from the Helsinki disaster, he has launched a childish all-caps Twitter tirade against Iran. Barstool threats dont make us safe, they make us look silly and weak, said Congressman Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Trumps Iran tweet resembled ones he issued last year to warn North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. But in June, Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the first U.S.-North Korean summit. After the meeting both sides declared a new friendship and made vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.

At the White House, Trump later on Monday said, none at all, in response to a shouted question about whether he had any concerns about provoking tensions with Iran.

Although Rouhani left open the possibility of peace between Tehran and Washington, Irans most powerful authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday ruled out negotiations with the United States as an obvious mistake.

There is limited appetite in Washington for a conflict with Iran, not least because of the difficulties the U.S. military faced in Iraq after its 2003 invasion but also because of the impact on the global economy if conflict raised oil prices.

Many ordinary Iranians are worried that the war of words might lead to a military confrontation but insiders in Tehran told Reuters they believed the Trump administration would not drag the United States into another quagmire in the Middle East.

With popular discontent over Irans faltering economy and sliding currency, and the prospect of tough new U.S. sanctions, Irans leaders have called for unity.

The Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the U.S. dollar on the unofficial market on Monday amid fears of a military confrontation. The dollar was being offered for as much as 92,000 rials, compared to around 75,000 last week.

Many Iranians are largely skeptical of the Trump administrations professed support for Iranian citizens because of the harsh U.S. sanctions on the country and a visa ban imposed on Iranians barring them from entering the United States.

While Washington prepares to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran after pulling out of the nuclear deal, Irans faction-ridden religious and political elites have closed ranks against Trumps hawkish approach to Tehran.

However, growing strains with the United States will eventually boost Rouhanis anti-Western hardline rivals who fear losing power if the nuclear accord, championed by Rouhani, ended the countrys political and economic isolation.

While the United States has a substantial military presence in the region, a full-scale military confrontation with Iran would be a major, costly endeavor that could eclipse the U.S. war in Iraq. It could also distract from other U.S. national security priorities, including Russia and North Korea.

In reaction to Irans threats, the U.S. military has renewed a vow to secure the free flow of oil from the Strait of Hormuz. However, at least as of last week, the Pentagon said those Iranian threats had not led the U.S. military to reposition or add to forces in the Middle East.

We havent adjusted our force posture in response to any of those statements. And I dont think thats warranted. I wouldnt recommend that, John Rood, under secretary of defense for policy, told a security forum in Colorado on Friday.

Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Phil Stewart and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Brendan O'Brien, Dubai newsroom, Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Parisa Hafezi and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alistair Bell and James Dalgleish

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Iran dismisses angry Trump warning against threatening U.S ...

Trump’s tirade on Iran: Tehran scoffs at ‘psychological …

ISTANBUL Iranian officials accused the White House of waging psychological warfare and vowed Monday to resist any U.S. efforts to destabilize their government, after stark warnings by President Trump against perceived Iranian threats.

The backlash from Tehran contributed to one of the harshest exchanges between Irans leadership and Washington since the Trump administration exited the 2015 nuclear deal in May and moved to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

That accord, signed by the United States and other world powers, eased international economic pressures on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. It was the signature achievement of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who championed dialogue with the West as a path toward ending Irans isolation.

Trumps threat on Twitter appeared to be a response to remarks by Rouhani in which he said any war with Iran would be the mother of all wars. Rouhani had also said that the United States must realize that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, Irans Tasnim News Agency reported.

Trump fired back in a tweet in capital letters, saying that if Rouhani ever threatened the United States again, Iran WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE.

WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH, Trump wrote. BE CAUTIOUS!

[Trump warns: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN ]

In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear deal, posted a tweet using capital letters and similar warnings.

COLOR US UNIMPRESSED: The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago, Zarif wrote, in an apparent reference to the speech Trump made when he announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement. ...Weve been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, incl our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries. BE CAUTIOUS! he wrote.

The bellicose rhetoric, coming just weeks before the United States is to impose the first round of renewed trade and financial sanctions, has prompted Irans government and political factions to close ranks. Hard-liners, who otherwise despise Rouhani, have eased some of their criticism in recent weeks. They saw his diplomatic approach to the West as naive and had pushed for his resignation.

As recently as June, a military adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former chief of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country might be better managed if there was no administration at all an ominous dig at Rouhani.

But in recent weeks, the presidents willingness to depart from his diplomatic tone and instead push back against U.S. pressure has won him praise from those same hard-liners.

Rouhanis sharpest remarks came earlier this month when he suggested in a speech in Switzerland that Iran could disrupt oil trade in the Persian Gulf. Many saw this as a veiled threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial sea lane for oil shipments.

Existential external pressures close the gap between all factions and force activists from all walks of life to unite under the same flag, said Reza Akbari, who researches Iranian politics at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in Washington.

According to Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the political-risk firm Eurasia Group, Rouhani has moved significantly to the right since the U.S. left the JCPOA the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the nuclear deal is formally known. That, Kupchan said, has created a more unified elite.

On Monday, the head of Irans paramilitary Basij force, Brig. Gen. Gholam Hossein Gheibparvar, dismissed Trumps salvos as psychological warfare.

We will never abandon our revolutionary beliefs. We will resist pressure from the enemies, the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. The comments were carried by the Iranian Students News Agency. Trump cannot do a damn thing against Iran, he said.

Amid the saber-rattling, the Iranian rial plunged Monday to a record low against the dollar. The currency has lost much of its value in recent months, causing chaos in the black market and foreign-exchange bureaus in Tehran.

Last month, shop owners in the citys famed bazaar went on strike to protest the ailing currency and rising prices. The demonstrations were among many that have taken place across Iran this year over a range of issues, including unpaid salaries, water cuts and mass layoffs.

In a speech to a crowd of Iranian Americans in California on Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a longtime Iran hawk, hailed the demonstrations as a response to myriad government failures, corruption and disrespect of rights. He outlined the administrations new strategy against Iran, including targeted messaging on social media and broadcast channels. He said the United States was stepping up efforts to help Iranians bypass Internet restrictions.

Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, said that Pompeos speech was hypocritical and absurd.

These remarks are a clear example of [U.S.] interference in Irans internal affairs, Tasnim quoted Qassemi as saying.

Irans government is buying time, according to Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute in Washington. They are openly hoping that Trump will be a one-term president, he said. For this Iranian regime, Trump is simply too unpredictable and therefore best avoided.

Vatanka said he believes that members of Rouhanis team are arguing for preparing the ground to talk to the next American president.

But Iran can dodge the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaign for only so long. And recent military skirmishes between the Revolutionary Guard and Israeli forces in Syria have raised the specter of escalating conflict.

Risk is on the rise. Neither side wants war, Kupchan wrote in a briefing note Monday. But, when threatened, Iran normally doesnt hesitate to respond, he said. And tensions could rise in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S. naval vessels patrol.

A deadly encounter would be escalatory, to put it mildly, he wrote.

John Wagner and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

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Trump's tirade on Iran: Tehran scoffs at 'psychological ...

How Israel, in Dark of Night, Torched Its Way to Irans …

One of the scientists warned that work on neutrons that create the chain reaction for a nuclear explosion must be hidden. Neutrons research could not be considered overt and needs to be concealed, his notes read. We cannot excuse such activities as defensive. Neutron activities are sensitive, and we have no explanation for them. That caution, the documents show, came from Masoud Ali Mohammadi, an Iranian nuclear physicist at the University of Tehran, who was assassinated in January 2010.

Mr. Netanyahu argues that the trove proves that the 2015 agreement, with its sunset clauses allowing the Iranians to produce nuclear fuel again after 2030, was nave. The fact that the Iranians went to such lengths to preserve what they had learned, and hid the archives contents from international inspectors in an undeclared site despite an agreement to reveal past research, is evidence of their future intent, he has said.

But the same material could also be interpreted as a strong argument for maintaining and extending the nuclear accord as long as possible. The deal deprived the Iranians of the nuclear fuel they would need to turn the designs into reality.

Former members of the Obama administration, who negotiated the deal, say the archive proves what they had suspected all along: that Iran had advanced fuel capability, warhead designs and a plan to build them rapidly. That was why they negotiated the accord, which forced Iran to ship 97 percent of its nuclear fuel out of the country. Tehran would never have agreed to a permanent ban, they said.

The archive captures the program at a moment in time a moment 15 years ago, before tensions accelerated, before the United States and Israel attacked Irans nuclear centrifuges with a cyberweapon, before an additional underground enrichment center was built and discovered.

Today, despite Mr. Trumps decision to exit the deal with Iran, it remains in place. The Iranians have not yet resumed enrichment or violated its terms, according to international inspectors. But if sanctions resume, and more Western companies leave Iran, it is possible that Iranian leaders will decide to resume nuclear fuel production.

The warehouse the Israelis penetrated was put into use only after the 2015 accord was reached with the United States, European powers, Russia and China. That pact granted broad rights to the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit suspected nuclear sites, including on military bases.

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How Israel, in Dark of Night, Torched Its Way to Irans ...

Religion in Iran – Wikipedia

According to the CIA World Factbook, around 9095%[1] of Iranians associate themselves with the Shia branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 510% with the Sunni and Sufi branches of Islam. The remaining 0.6% associate themselves with non-Islamic religious minorities, including Bah's, Mandeans, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians.[2] The latter three minority religions are officially recognized and protected, and have reserved seats in the Iran parliament.[3] Zoroastrianism was once the majority religion, though today Zoroastrians number only in the tens of thousands.[4] Iran is home to the second largest Jewish community in the Muslim World and the Middle East.[5] The two largest non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran are the Bah' Faith and Christianity.[6] The Bah' Faith, historically the largest religious minority in Iran,[7] is not officially recognized, and has been persecuted during its existence in Iran.[8][9][10][11] Christianity, the largest non-Muslim minority religion that is recognized by the Iranian government, has the largest annual growth rate of all religions in Iran.[12]

Religion in Iran (census 2011)[13]

The Iranian government does not officially recognise the existence of non-religious Iranians. This leaves the true representation of the religious split in Iran unknown as all non-religious, spiritual, atheist, agnostic and converts away from Islam are likely to be included within the government statistic of the 99% Muslim majority.[1] Sunnism was the predominant form of Islam before the devastating Mongol conquest, but subsequently Shi'ism became eventually utterly dominant in all of Iran and modern-day Azerbaijan (though highly secular) with the advent of the Safavids.[16]

Islam has been the official religion and part of the governments of Iran since the Arab conquest of Iran circa 640 AD.[17] It took another few hundred years for Shia Islam to gather and become a religious and political power in Iran.[citation needed] In the history of Shia Islam the first Shia state was Idrisid dynasty (780974) in Maghreb, a region of north west Africa. Then the Alavids dynasty (864 928AD) became established in Mazandaran (Tabaristan), in northern Iran. The Alavids were of the Zaidiyyah Shia (sometimes called "Fiver".)[18] These dynasties were local. But they were followed by two great and powerful dynasties: Fatimid Caliphate which formed in Ifriqiya in 909 AD and the Buyid dynasty emerged in Daylaman, in north central Iran, about 930 AD and then extended rule over central and western Iran and into Iraq until 1048 AD. The Buyid were also Zaidiyyah Shia. Later Sunni Islam came to rule from the Ghaznavids dynasty, 975 to 1187AD, through to the Mongol invasion and establishment of the Ilkhanate which kept Shia Islam out of power until the Mongol ruler Ghazan converted to Shia Islam in 1310 AD and made it the state religion.[19]

Although Shias have lived in Iran since the earliest days of Islam, and there had been Shia dynasties in parts of Iran during the 10th and 11th centuries, according to Mortaza Motahhari the majority of Iranian scholars and masses remained Sunni till the time of the Safavids.[20]

However, there are four high points in the history of Shia in Iran that expanded this linkage:

In 1501, the Safavid dynasty established Twelver Shia Islam as the official state religion of Iran.[22] In particular after Ismail I captured Tabriz in 1501 and established Safavids dynasty, he proclaimed Twelver Shiism as the state religion, ordering conversion of the Sunnis. The population of what is nowadays Azerbaijan was converted to Shiism the same time as the people of what is nowadays Iran.[16] Although conversion was not as rapid as Ismails forcible policies might suggest,[citation needed] the vast majority of those who lived in the territory of what is now Iran and Azerbaijan did identify with Shiism by the end of the Safavid era in 1722. As most of Ismail's subjects were Sunni he enforced official Shi'ism violently, putting to death those who opposed him.[citation needed] Thousands were killed in subsequent purges.[citation needed]In some cases entire towns were eliminated because they were not willing to convert from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam.[23] Ismail brought Arab Shia clerics from Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in order to preach the Shia faith.[24] Ismail's attempt to spread Shia propaganda among the Turkmen tribes of eastern Anatolia prompted a conflict with the Sunnite Ottoman Empire. Following Iran's defeat by the Ottomans at the Battle of Chaldiran, Safavid expansion fasted, and a process of consolidation began in which Ismail sought to quell the more extreme expressions of faith among his followers.[25] While Ismail I declared shiism as the official state religion, it was in fact his successor, Tahmasb, who consolidated the Safavid rule and spread Shiism in Iran. After a period of indulgence in wine and the pleasures of the harem,[citation needed] he turned pious and parsimonious, observing all the Shiite rites and enforcing them as far as possible on his entourage and subjects.[23] Under Abbas I, Iran prospered. Succeeding Safavid rulers promoted Shi'a Islam among the elites, and it was only under Mullah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi court cleric from 1680 until 1698- that Shia Islam truly took hold among the masses.[26]

Then there were successive dynasties in Iran the Afsharid dynasty (17361796 AD) (which mixed Shi'a and Sunni), Zand dynasty (17501794 AD) (which was Twelver Shia Islam), the Qajar dynasty (17941925 AD) (again Twelver). There was a brief Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 190511 in which the progressive religious and liberal forces rebelled against theocratic rulers in government [27] who were also associated with European colonialization and their interests in the new Anglo-Persian Oil Company.The secularist efforts ultimately succeeded in the Pahlavi dynasty (19251979 AD). The 1953 Iranian coup d'tat was orchestrated by Western powers[28] which created a backlash against Western powers in Iran, and was among the background and causes of the Iranian Revolution to the creation of the Islamic republic.

From the Islamization of Iran the cultural and religious expression of Iran participated in the Islamic Golden Age from the 9th through the 13th centuries AD, for 400 years.[29] This period was across Shia and Sunni dynasties through to the Mongol governance. Iran participated with its own scientists and scholars. Additionally the most important scholars of almost all of the Islamic sects and schools of thought were Persian or lived in Iran including most notable and reliable Hadith collectors of Shia and Sunni like Shaikh Saduq, Shaikh Kulainy, Muhammad al-Bukhari, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj and Hakim al-Nishaburi, the greatest theologians of Shia and Sunni like Shaykh Tusi, Al-Ghazali, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and Al-Zamakhshari, the greatest Islamic physicians, astronomers, logicians, mathematicians, metaphysicians, philosophers and scientists like Al-Farabi and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, the Shaykhs of Sufism like Rumi, Abdul-Qadir Gilani all these were in Iran or from Iran.[30] And there were poets like Hafiz who wrote extensively in religious themes. Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the west, was a polymath and the foremost Islamic physician and philosopher of his time.[31] Hafiz was the most celebrated Persian lyric poet and is often described as a poet's poet. Rumi's importance transcends national and ethnic borders even today.[32] Readers of the Persian and Turkish language in Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan see him as one of their most significant classical poets and an influence on many poets through history.[33] In addition to individuals, whole institutions arose Nizamiyyas were the medieval institutions of Islamic higher education established by Nizam al-Mulk in the 11th century. These were the first well-organized universities in the Muslim world. The most famous and celebrated of all the nizamiyyah schools was Al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad (established 1065), where Nizam al-Mulk appointed the distinguished philosopher and theologian, al-Ghazali, as a professor. Other Nizamiyyah schools were located in Nishapur, Balkh, Herat, and Isfahan.

While the dynasties avowed either Shia or Sunni, and institutions and individuals claimed either Sunni or Shia affiliations, Shia Sunni relations were part of Islam in Iran and continue today when Ayatollah Khomeini also called for unity between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Today Islam is the religion of 99.6% of Iranians of which approximately 89% are Shia almost all of whom are Twelvers.[34] The Shia groups have distinctions between Fiver, Sevener and Twelver, derived from their belief in how many divinely ordained leaders there were who are descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and his son-in-law Ali. These Imams are considered the best source of knowledge about the Quran and Islam, the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muammad's Sunnah (habit or usual practice) and the most worthy of emulation. In addition to the lineage of Imams, Twelvers have their preferred hadith collections The Four Books which are narrations regarded by Muslims as important tools for understanding the Quran and in matters of jurisprudence. For Twelvers the lineage of Imams are known as the Twelve Imams. Of these Imams, only one is buried in Iran at the Imam Reza shrine, for Ali ar-Ridha who lived from 765 818 AD, before any Shi'a dynasties arose in Iran. The last Imam recognized by Twelvers, Muhammad al-Mahdi, was born in 868 AD as the Alavids spread their rule in Iran while in conflict with Al-Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph at the time. Several Imams are buried in Iraq, as sites of pilgrimage, and the rest are in Saudi Arabia. In addition two of the Five Martyrs of Shia Islam have connections to Iran Shahid Thani (15061558) lived in Iran later in life, and Qazi Nurullah Shustari (15491610) was born in Iran. The predominant school of theology, practice, and jurisprudence (Madh'hab) in Shia Islam is Jafari established by Ja'far as-Sadiq.[35]

Sunni Muslims are the second largest religious group in Iran.[36] Specifically, Sunni Islam came to rule in Iran after the period Sunni were distinguished from Shi'a through the Ghaznavids from 975 AD, followed by the Great Seljuq Empire and the Khwarazm-Shah dynasty until the Mongol invasion of Iran. Sunni Islam returned to rule when Ghazan converted.

About 9%[1] of the Iranian population are Sunni Muslimsmostly Larestani people (Khodmooni) from Larestan, Kurds in the northwest, Arabs and Balochs in the southwest and southeast, and a smaller number of Persians, Pashtuns and Turkmens in the northeast.

Sunni websites and organizations complain about the absence of any official records regarding their community and believe their number is much greater than what is usually estimated. Demographic changes have become an issue for both sides. Scholars on either side speak about the increase in the Sunni population and usually issue predictions regarding demographic changes in the country. One prediction, for example, claims that the Sunnis will be the majority in Iran by 2030.[37]

The mountainous region of Larestan is mostly inhabited by indigenous Sunni Persians who did not convert to Shia Islam during the Safavids because the mountainous region of Larestan was too isolated. The majority of Larestani people are Sunni Muslims,[38][39][40] 30% of Larestani people are Shia Muslims. The people of Larestan speak the Lari language, which is a southwestern Iranian language closely related to Old Persian (pre-Islamic Persian) and Luri.[41] Sunni Larestani Iranians migrated to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf in large numbers in the late 19th century. Some Sunni Emirati, Bahraini and Kuwaiti citizens are of Larestani ancestry.

Iran's Ministry of Health announced that all family-planning programs and procedures would be suspended. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on women to have more children to boost the country's population to 150200 million. Contraceptive policy made sense 20 years ago, he said, but its continuation in later years was wrong. Numerous speculations have been given for this change in policy: that it was an attempt to show the world that Iran is not suffering from sanctions; to avoid an aging population with rising medical and social-security costs; or to return to Iran's genuine culture. Some speculate that the new policy seeks to address the Supreme Leader's concerns that Iran's Sunni population is growing much faster than its Shia one (7% growth in Sunni areas compared to 11.3% in Shia areas).[42][43]

The predominant school of theology and jurisprudence (Madh'hab) among Sunnis in Iran is Hanafi, established by Abu Hanifa.

According to Mehdi Khalaji, Salafi Islamic thoughts have been on the rise in Iran in recent years. Salafism alongside extremist Ghulat Shia sects has become popular amongst some Iranian youth, who connect through social media and underground organizations. The Iranian government views Salafism as a threat and does not allow Salafis to build mosques in Tehran or other large cities due to the fear that these mosques could be infiltrated by extremists.[44]

It is allegedly reported that members of religious minorities, especially Sunni Muslims who supported rebels in Syrian Civil War, are increasingly persecuted by authorities. The government imprisons, harasses and discriminates people because of their religious beliefs.[45]

The Safaviya sufi order, originates during the circa Safavid dynasty circa 700AD. A later order in Persia is the Chishti. The Nimatullahi are the largest Shi'i Sufi order active throughout Iran and there is the Naqshbandi, a Sunni order active mostly in the Kurdish regions of Iran. The Oveyssi-Shahmaghsoudi order is the largest Iranian Sufi order which currently operates outside of Iran.

Famous Sufis include al-Farabi, al-Ghazali, Rumi, and Hafiz. Rumi's two major works, Diwan-e Shams and Masnavi, are considered by some to be the greatest works of Sufi mysticism and literature.

Since the 1979 Revolution, Sufi practices have been repressed by the Islamic Republic, forcing some Sufi leaders into exile.[46][47]

While no official statistics are available for Sufi groups, there are reports that estimate their population between two and five million (between 37% of the population).[36]

There are several major religious minorities in Iran, Bah's (est. 300,000350,000)[4][48][49] and Christians (est. 300,000[50] 370,000[50] with one group, the Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic Church, composing between 200,000 and 300,000[51][52]) being the largest. Smaller groups include Jews, Zoroastrians, Mandaeans, and Yarsan, as well as local religions practiced by tribal minorities.[36][53]

Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are officially recognized and protected by the government. For example, shortly after his return from exile in 1979, at a time of great unrest, the revolution's leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering that Jews and other minorities be treated well.[54][55]

The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as official religions. Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, recognizes them as People of the Book and they are granted the right to exercise religious freedom in Iran.[48][56] Five of the 270 seats in parliament are reserved for these each of these three religions.

In 2017 there has been a controversy around the reelection of a Zoroastrian municipal councillor in Yazd, as there was no clear legislation on the matter. "On April 15, about one month before Irans local and presidential elections", Ahmad Jannati, head of the Guardian Council, had "issued a directive demanding that non-Muslims be disqualified from running in the then-upcoming city and village council elections in localities where most of the population are Muslims".[57] On November 26, 2017, Iranian lawmakers approved the urgency of a bill that would give the right for members of the religious minorities to nominate candidates for the city and village councils elections. The bill secured 154 yes votes, 23 no and 10 abstention. A total of 204 lawmakers were present at the parliament session.[58]

On the other hand, senior government posts are reserved for Muslims. All minority religious groups, including Sunni Muslims, are barred from being elected president. Jewish, Christian and Zoroastrian schools must be run by Muslim principals.[59] Compensation for death paid to the family of a non-Muslim was (by law) less than if the victim was a Muslim until recently. Conversion to Islam is encouraged by islamic inheritance laws, which mean that by converting to Islam, a convert will inherit the entire share of their parents' (or even uncle's) estate if their siblings (or cousins) remain non-Muslim.[60] Iran's non-Muslim population has fallen dramatically. For example, the Jewish population in Iran dropped from 80,000 to 30,000 in the first two decades of the revolution.[61] By 2012, it had dwindled below 9,000.[62]

According to Moaddel and Azadarmaki (2003), fewer than 5% of Iranians do not believe in God.[63] A 2009 Gallup poll showed that 83% of Iranians said religion is an important part of their daily life.[64] Non-religious Iranians are officially unrecognized by the government. The irreligiosity figures in the diaspora are higher, notably among Iranian-Americans.[65][66]

The Bah' Faith, has been persecuted during its existence in Iran.[8][9][10][67][68] Since the 1979 revolution the persecution of Bah's has increased with oppression, the denial of civil rights and liberties, and the denial of access to higher education and employment.[8][69][67][68][70] There were an estimated 350,000 Bah's in Iran in 1986.[69] The Bah's are scattered in small communities throughout Iran with a heavy concentration in Tehran. Most Bah's are urban, but there are some Bah' villages, especially in Fars and Mazandaran. The majority of Bah's are Persians, but there is a significant minority of Azeri Bah's, and there are even a few among the Kurds. Bah's are neither recognized nor protected by the Iranian constitution.

The Bah' Faith originated in Iran during the 1840s as a messianic movement out of Shia Islam. Opposition arose quickly, and Amir Kabir, as prime-minister, regarded the Bbis as a threat and ordered the execution of the founder of the movement, the Bb and killing of as many as 2,000 to 3,000 Babis.[71] As another example two prominent Bah's were arrested and executed circa 1880 because the Imm-Jum'ih at the time owed them a large sum of money for business relations and instead of paying them he confiscated their property and brought public ridicule upon them as being Bah's.[72] Their execution was committed despite observers testifying to their innocence.

The Shia clergy, as well as many Iranians, have continued to regard Bah's as heretics, and consequently Bah's have encountered much prejudice and have sometimes been the objects of persecution. The situation of the Bah's improved under the Pahlavi shahs when the government actively sought to secularize public life however there were still organizations actively persecuting the Bah's in addition to there being curses children would learn decrying the Bb and Bah's.[73] The Hojjatieh was a semi-clandestine traditionalist Shia organization founded by Muslim clerics[73] on the premise that the most immediate threat to Islam was the Bah' Faith.[74] In March to June 1955, the Ramadan period that year, a widespread systematic program was undertaken cooperatively by the government and the clergy. During the period they destroyed the national Bah' Center in Tehran, confiscated properties and made it illegal for a time to be Bah' (punishable by 2 to 10-year prison term.)[75] Founder of SAVAK, Teymur Bakhtiar, took a pick-ax to a Bah' building himself at the time.[76]

The social situation of the Bah's was drastically altered after the 1979 revolution. The Hojjatieh group flourished during the 1979 revolution but was forced to dissolve after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini speech on 12 August 1983. However, there are signs of it reforming circa 2002-4.[76] Beyond the Hojjatieh group, the Islamic Republic does not recognize the Bah's as a religious minority, and they have been officially persecuted, "some 200 of whom have been executed and the rest forced to convert or subjected to the most horrendous disabilities." [77] Starting in late 1979 the new government systematically targeted the leadership of the Bah' community by focusing on the Bah' National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) and Local Spiritual Assemblies (LSAs); prominent members of NSAs and LSAs were either killed or disappeared.[69] Like most conservative Muslims, Khomeini believed them to be apostates, for example issuing a fatwa stating:

It is not acceptable that a tributary [non-Muslim who pays tribute] changes his religion to another religion not recognized by the followers of the previous religion. For example, from the Jews who become Bahai's nothing is accepted except Islam or execution.[78]

and emphasized that the Bah's would not receive any religious rights, since he believed that the Bah's were a political rather than religious movement.[79][80]

the Baha'is are not a sect but a party, which was previously supported by Britain and now the United States. The Baha'is are also spies just like the Tudeh [Communist Party].[81]

This is all despite the fact that conversion from Judaism and Zoroastrianism in Iran is well documented since the 1850s indeed such a change of status removing legal and social protections.[82][83][84][85][86]

Allegations of Bah' involvement with other powers have long been repeated in many venues including denunciations from the president.[87][88]

During the drafting of the new constitution the wording intentionally excluded the Bah's from protection as a religious minority.[89] More recently, documentation has been provided that shows governmental intent to destroy the Bah' community. The government has intensified propaganda and hate speech against Bah's through the Iranian media; Bah's are often attacked and dehumanized on political, religious, and social grounds to separate Bah's from the rest of society.[90] According to Eliz Sanasarian "Of all non-Muslim religious minorities the persecution of the Bahais has been the most widespread, systematic, and uninterrupted. In contrast to other non-Muslim minorities, the Bahais have been spread throughout the country in villages, small towns, and various cities, fueling the paranoia of the prejudiced."[87]

Since the 1979 revolution, the authorities have destroyed most or all of the Baha'i holy places in Iran, including the House of the Bab in Shiraz, a house in Tehran where Bah'u'llh was brought up, and other sites connected to aspects of Babi and Baha'i history. These demolitions have sometimes been followed by the construction of mosques in a deliberate act of triumphalism. Many or all of the Baha'i cemeteries in Iran have been demolished and corpses exhumed. Indeed, several agencies and experts and journals have published concerns about viewing the developments as a case of genocide: Romo Dallaire,[91][92] Genocide Watch,[93] Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention,[94] War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity[95] and the Journal of Genocide Research.[96]

The number of Iranian Mandaeans is a matter of dispute. In 2009, there were an estimated 5,000 and 10,000 Mandaeans in Iran, according to the Associated Press,[97] while Alarabiya has put the number of Iranian Mandaeans as high as 60,000 in 2011.[98]

Until the Iranian Revolution, Mandaeans had mainly been concentrated in Khuzestan province, where the community historically existed side by side with the local Arab population. They had mainly practiced the profession of goldsmith, passing it from generation to generation.[98] After the fall of the shah, its members faced increased religious discrimination, and many sought new homes in Europe and the Americas.

In 2002 the US State Department granted Iranian Mandaeans protective refugee status; since then roughly 1,000 have emigrated to the US,[97] now residing in cities such as San Antonio, Texas.[99] On the other hand, the Mandaean community in Iran has increased in size over the last decade, because of the exodus from Iraq of the main Mandaean community, which once was 60,00070,000 strong.

Christianity in Iran has had a long history, dating back to the very early years of the faith. And the region is thought to have affected Christianity as well with perhaps the introduction of the concept of The Devil.[100] There are some very old churches in Iran perhaps the oldest and largest is the St. Thaddeus Monastery, which is also called the Ghara Kelissa (the Black Monastery), south of Maku.[101] By far the largest group of Christians in Iran are Armenians under the Armenian Apostolic Church which has between 110,000,[102] 250,000,[103] and 300,000 adherents.[51] There are many hundreds of Christian churches in Iran, with at least 600 being active serving the nation its Christian population.[104][105] The Armenian church is currently as of early 2015 organized under Sibuh Sarkisian, who has succeeded Archbishop Manukian, the Armenian Apostolic Archbishop since at least the 1980s.[52][87][106] Unofficial estimates for the Assyrian Christian population range between 20,000,[107][108] and 70,000.[110] Christian groups outside the country estimate the size of the Protestant Christian community to be fewer than 10,000, although many may practice in secret.[36] There are approximately 20,000 Christians Iranian citizens abroad who left after the 1979 revolution.[111] Christianity has always been a minority religion, overshadowed by the majority state religionsZoroastrianism in the past, and Shia Islam today. Christians of Iran have played a significant part in the history of Christian mission. While always a minority the Armenian Christians have had an autonomy of educational institutions such as the use of their language in schools.[87] The Government regards the Mandaeans as Christians, and they are included among the three recognized religious minorities; however, Mandaeans do not consider themselves Christians.[36]

Christian population estimations range between 300,000[50] and 370,000[50] adherents; one estimate suggests a range between 100,000 and 500,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background living in Iran, most of them evangelical Christians.[112] Of the three non-Muslim religions recognized by the Iranian government, the 2011 General Census indicated that Christianity was the largest in the nation.[113]

The small evangelical Protestants Christian minority in Iran have been subject to Islamic "government suspicion and hostility" according to Human Rights Watch at least in part because of their "readiness to accept and even seek out Muslim converts" as well as their Western origins. According to Human Rights Watch in the 1990s, two Muslim converts to Christianity who had become ministers were sentenced to death for apostasy and other charges.[114] There still have not been any reported executions of apostates. However many people, such as Youcef Nadarkhani, Saeed Abedini have been recently harassed, jailed and sentenced to death for Apostasy. As of 2017, there are over 3 million Christians in Iran.[115]

The Yarsan or Ahl-e Haqq is a syncretic religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran.[116] The total number of members is estimated at around 1,000,000 in 2004,[117] primarily found in western Iran and Iraq, mostly ethnic Goran Kurds,[118][119][120] though there are also smaller groups of Persian, Lori, Azeri and Arab adherents.[121] Some Yarsanis are also present in southeastern Turkey.

See Persecution of Zoroastrians

Zoroastrians in Iran have had a long history reaching back thousands of years, and are the oldest religious community of Iran that has survived to the present day. Prior to the Muslim Arab invasion of Persia (Iran), Zoroastrianism had been the primary religion of Iranian people. Zoroastrians mainly are ethnic Persians and are concentrated in the cities of Tehran, Kerman, and Yazd. The Islamic Republic government estimates the number of Zoroastrians is 20,000, Zoroastrian groups in Iran say their number is approximately 60,000.[4] According to the Iranian census data from 2011 the number of Zoroastrians in Iran was 25,271.[122]

Since the fall of the Sassanid Zoroastrian empire by the Arab conquest of Persia, in different periods of post-Islamic history of Iran, Zoroastrians have periodically faced extreme religious oppression including forced conversions, massacres, harassment, and other forms of discrimination.[citation needed]

This oppression has led to a massive diaspora community across the world, in particular the Parsis of India, who number significantly higher than the Zoroastrians in Iran.

Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran and dates back to the late biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia.

Iran supports by far the largest Jewish population of any Muslim country.[54] In recent decades, the Jewish population of Iran has been reported by some sources to be 25,000,[123][124][125] though estimates vary, as low as 11,000 [126] and as high as 40,000.[127] According to the Iranian census data from 2011 the number of Jews in Iran was 8,756, much lower than the figure previously estimated.[122]

Emigration has lowered the population of 75,000 to 80,000 Jews living in Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution.[4] According to The world Jewish Library, most Jews in Iran live in Tehran, Isfahan (3,000), and Shiraz. BBC reported Yazd is home to ten Jewish families, six of them related by marriage, however some estimate the number is much higher. Historically, Jews maintained a presence in many more Iranian cities.

Today, the largest groups of Jews from Iran are found in the United States which is home to approximately 100,000 Iranian Jews, who have settled especially in the Los Angeles area and New York City area.[128] Israel is home to 75,000 Iranian Jews, including second-generation Israelis.[129]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada traveled to Tehran in 1976.[130] Since 1977, ISKCON runs a vegetarian restaurant in Tehran.[131]

Iran is an Islamic republic. Its constitution mandates that the official religion is Islam (see: Islam in Iran), specifically the Twelver Ja'fari school of Islam, with other Islamic schools being accorded full respect. Followers of all Islamic schools are free to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their religious rites. The constitution recognizes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians as religious minorities.

While several religious minorities lack equal rights with Muslims, complaints about religious freedom largely revolve around the persecution of the Bah' Faith, the country's largest religious minority, which faces active persecution.[70] Several important Bah' cemeteries and holy places have been demolished, and there have been reports of imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and murder based on religious beliefs.[132]

Hudud statutes grant different punishments to Muslims and non-Muslims for the same crime. In the case of adultery, for example, a Muslim man who is convicted of committing adultery with a Muslim woman receives 100 lashes; the sentence for a non-Muslim man convicted of adultery with a Muslim woman is death.[133] In 2004, inequality of "blood money" (diya) was eliminated, and the amount paid by a perpetrator for the death or wounding a Christian, Jew, or Zoroastrian man, was made the same as that for a Muslim. However, the International Religious Freedom Report reports that Baha'is were not included in the provision and their blood is considered Mobah, (i.e. it can be spilled with impunity).[4]

Conversion from Islam to another religion (apostasy), is prohibited and may be punishable by death. Article 23 of the constitution states, "the investigation of individuals' beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief." But another article, 167, gives judges the discretion "to deliver his judgment on the basis of authoritative Islamic sources and authentic fatwa (rulings issued by qualified clerical jurists)." The founder of the Islamic Republic, Islamic cleric Ruhollah Khomeini, who was a grand Ayatollah, ruled "that the penalty for conversion from Islam, or apostasy, is death."[134]

At least two Iranians Hashem Aghajari and Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari have been arrested and charged with apostasy (though not executed), not for converting to another faith but for statements and/or activities deemed by courts of the Islamic Republic to be in violation of Islam, and that appear to outsiders to be Islamic reformist political expression.[135] Hashem Aghajari, was found guilty of apostasy for a speech urging Iranians to "not blindly follow" Islamic clerics;[136] Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari was charged with apostasy for attending the 'Iran After the Elections' Conference in Berlin Germany which was disrupted by anti-government demonstrators.[137]

This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.

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Religion in Iran - Wikipedia