As the world watches the conflict in Iran unfold, many commentators have tried to make a connection between the current protests and either the coup of 1953 or the revolution of 1979. But what do we know of the history of that country and how well do we know its leaders? Some of the major political players who have dominated the trajectory of the recent history of Iran include Mohammed Mossadegh, Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and Mir-Hossein Mousavi. All links above are to Wikipedia pages. For more extensive articles and information, check below the fold. [more inside]
posted by billysumday on Jun 15, 2009 - 124 comments

Fatemeh Haghighatjou resigned from the Iranian Parliament yesterday. Despite being religious, she was one of the bravest MPs who challenged and criticized the hardliners and especially the Supreme Leader, Khamenei. (More pictures form the parliament on the same day: page one, page two, page three, page four, page five) The mobile picture is taken on the last day of her job at the parliament, by Mohammadali Abtahi, a vice-president of Iran--and a blogger. (His photos are much better than his writings, though.)
posted by hoder on Feb 24, 2004 - 5 comments