| The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. |
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| Iran |
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| (i-RAN, i-rahn, eye-RAN) 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. | 1 |
| ‡ Core of the ancient Persian Empire, Iran was known as Persia until 1935. | 2 |
| ‡ 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. | 3 |
| ‡ Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ruled from 1979 until his death in 1989, imposing strict Islamic law. | 4 |
| ‡ In 1979, Iranian militants attacked the U.S. embassy and seized hostages, including sixty-two Americans, who were held until 1981. | 5 |
| ‡ Iraq unsuccessfully invaded Iran in 1980. | 6 |
| ‡ The Iranian government was widely believed to have controlled the taking of U. S. hostages in Lebanon. (See Iran-Contra affair.) | 7 |
| ‡ The 1990s saw some moderating elements emerge to challenge the conservative heirs to Khomeini. | 8 |
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| | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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