For the Model United Nations Simulation, I will be co-representing Iran. Iran is also known as the Islamic Republic of Iran because it is a state under a certain theocratic form of government. 98% of its citizens are Muslims, so Islamic theology plays into a lot of Iranian politics. Iran’s government acts under a theocratic republic. The theocracy consists of a Supreme Leader who oversees the majority of Iranian political affairs, an executive branch under the president, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. The president is in charge of the executive branch, signing treaties and dealing with international affairs, national planning, state employment affairs, etc. However the president does not have complete control over international affairs; he shares these powers with the Supreme Leader, the most powerful person in the Republic of Iran. Some key functions of the Supreme Leader include:
1) supreme command of the armed forces
2) declaration of war, peace, and mobilization of the armed forces
3) appointment, dismissal, and acceptance of resignation of:
a. supreme judicial authority, head of radio/television network, chief of the joint of staff, chief commander of the armed forces
4) signing the decree formalizing the elections in Iran for the President of the Republic by the people.
5) Dismissal of the president of the republic with regard for the interest of the country
The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is the first president of Iran in 24 years who is not a religious cleric. He was elected in 2005, and has taken part in many key Iran foreign affairs since the start of his presidency. He has been a supporter of Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council, and has been asked to be terminated. Ahmadinejad claims that their program is peaceful in nature, but research and Iran’s failure to comply with Security Council demands have suggested that the program may be a threat to international security. He is also known for his expression of resentment towards Israel. He has supported “Anti-Zionism,” supporting a world without Zionism, or without Israel. He has been criticized for his quotes implying the state of Israel should be erased from the Islamic world. These implications have led people to assume that Ahmadinejad has anti-Semitic goals in regard to Israel. Regardless of the validity of these assumptions, Iran’s rule under Ahmadinejad has led the world (particularly Israel and the US) to see Iran as a security threat.
In order to further understand Israel, it is also important to have knowledge of some basic demographics. Iran is located in the Middle East between Iraq and Pakistan, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. As stated before, 98% of Israel’s citizens are Muslims, the remaining 2% consisting of Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, and Baha’ians. With this commonality among Iranian citizens, Islamic theology is a monumental aspect of the Iranian culture. Iranians’ morals and values are all predicated on their Islamic faith. The main language is Persian (58%), then Turkic (26%), Kurdish (9%), Luri (2%), Balochi (1%), Arabic (1%), Turkish (1%), and other (2%). The state controls the majority of economic activity in Iran, undermining private sector growth in the economy. Iran’s Oil industry accounts for the majority of government revenues. However Oil market prices in Iran have decreased in the past year, and are anticipated to decrease even more in 2009. Iran makes $106.4 billion in exports, and petroleum (crude oil) accounts for 80% of their exports. With oil being such a valued commodity, it gives Iran certain precedence in negotiating foreign affairs. The European Union is Iran’s most significant trading partner, accounting for 40% of Iran’s exports. The European Union relies largely on Iran for energy resources, but their trade activity has decreased due to Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Continued failure to comply with Security Council demands may damper Iranian trade relationships. Iran’s GDP in 2008 was $859.7 billion, and their public dept (in percentage of the GDP) is 25%.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad#Relations_with_Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/983509.html