Sunday w/ Sana & Judy: Iranian Aggressions and Ambitions

Persia, one of the world's earliest civilizations, was officially renamed Iran in 1935. Iran, which translates to "Land of the Aryans," is a vast, populous country with approximately 83 million people, extensive mountain ranges, vast salt deserts, and rich oil and gas reserves. It is also the birthplace of the Persian rug and the country where, during his
rule, the emperor Cyrus the Great freed the slaves, recognized religious freedoms, and racial equality. He also conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, and helped them rebuild the Second Temple in their homeland.

Let's talk about the Iranian leaders and how they dealt with major national concerns like WWII, oil, and revolution:
Shah Reza Pahlavi, who during WWII supported the U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union ("the Allies'), but also sympathized with Hitler. This made the Allies nervous. The Allies wanted to send heavy weapons through Iran to the Soviet Union, which resulted in the Soviet Union occupying Iran and forcing the Shah into exile in South Africa.
Shah Mohammad Reza, 21 years old and educated in Switzerland, returned to Iran in 1941 to replace his father on the throne. He struggled to control the Prime Minister Mosaddegh, an Iranian Nationalist, as well as the Iranian people. During this time, Mosaddegh and Reza disagreed on how to manage Iran's oil supply.

On January 16, 1979, Shah Reza fled Iran due to mutiny. On February 1, 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after nearly 15 years in exile and was named the leader of the Iranian Revolution. Do you know which
countries helped Khomeini return to Iran and what he promised them in return? A religious radical, Khomeini, changed Iran's constitution back to Sharia Law, which was in effect before his exile. As such, his leadership had a huge impact on Iran's society, politics, and economy. We can not forget how Iranian women fought hard against his demands to suppress them. Khomeini died on June 3, 1989, and was succeeded by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Gradual democratization began in the early 1990s. A free election was held in 1997, electing the moderate reformist Mohammed Khatami as president.
Please join us for this exciting topic!