Iran is a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country in southwestern Asia. The country has a rich and distinct cultural and social continuity stretching back to the Achaemenid period, which began in 550 BCE. Since 1979, it has gained recognition for its distinct brand of Islamic republic.

Although the government was designed to be a parliamentary democracy, continuous instability both at home and abroad has directed its descent into a more theocratic dictatorship.

In 2022, the state's push to quell economic dissatisfaction by repression triggered extensive and crippling protests, which were fueled in part by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini while she was in detention for improper dress.

The repression that occurred prior to, during, and following the protests coincided with concerns over the succession of the aging Ali Khamenei, the autocratic leader (rahbar) for more than three decades.