The Iranian Empire began in the Iron Age with the rise of the Medes, who unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC. [34] The Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC), founded by Cyrus the Great, was the largest empire the world had seen, spanning from the …

Iranian peoples, [1] or Iranic peoples, [2] are the collective ethnolinguistic groups [3] who are identified chiefly by their native usage of any of the Iranian languages, which are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages within the Indo-European language family.

1 day ago · Iran is a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The heart of the Persian empire of antiquity, Iran has long played an important role in the region as an imperial power and as a factor in superpower rivalries. Modern Iranian culture owes itself in part to a renaissance in the 8th century.

3 days ago · At least 28 people have been killed and 800 injured in a huge explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, state media report. The explosion sent a huge plume of thick, gray smoke from ...

5 days ago · The president, who is elected by universal adult suffrage, heads the executive branch and must be a native-born Iranian Shiʿi. This post was largely ceremonial until July 1989, when a national referendum approved a constitutional amendment that abolished the post of prime minister and vested greater authority in the president.

3 days ago · After the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehrān in November 1979 by Iranian students aligned with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, more than 50 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. (more)

The Iranian government was changed to an Islamic Republic by Islamic Revolution. Soon afterwards, the Iranian Students Movement (Tahkim Vahdat), with the backing of the new government , took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran .

In this photo released by the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with officials, Islamic countries’ ambassador to Iran and a group of people in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File) Share.

2 days ago · The death toll from a massive explosion at an Iranian port rose to 40 on Sunday with more than 800 people injured, according to the state media. Several people remain missing. The blast Saturday ...

2 days ago · At least 65 dead, hundreds injured in explosion at Iranian port, officials say. Shahid Rajaee is a critical port in Iran. By Julia Jacobo and Megan Forrester. April 28, 2025, 1:25 PM. 0:28.