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BBC - 4 August 2010
Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mr Ahmadinejad calls himself a friend of the people
A populist hardliner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often courted controversy since becoming the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2005.
His strong rhetoric against the United States and Israel and unbending stance on Iran 's nuclear programme has proved popular at home but has enraged the West. #
In 2009, international criticism intensified when his re-election caused his country's worst political unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The results, disputed by defeated reformists and moderates who demanded a rerun, led to violent anti-government protests. They were crushed but a deep rift was left within Iran 's political and clerical elite.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state, declared the vote valid so that Mr Ahmadinejad could be sworn in for a second term.
The president is among a younger generation of lay politicians who are fiercely loyal to him.
Rising from obscurity
The son of a blacksmith, Mr Ahmadinejad was born in 1956 in Garmsar, near Tehran , and holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran 's University of Science
He was not well-known when he was appointed mayor of Tehran in 2003.
While running the city he reduced social freedoms and curtailed many of the reforms introduced by more moderate figures who ran the city before him.
His rise to power and landslide victory in 2005 surprised the international community, which anticipated a win for the incumbent president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Revolutionary credentials
There has been confusion about Mr Ahmadinejad's role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Several of the 52 Americans who were held hostage in the US embassy in the months after the revolution say they are certain Mr Ahmadinejad was among those who captured them.
He insists he was not there, and several known hostage-takers - now his strong political opponents - deny he was with them.
His website says he joined the Revolutionary Guards voluntarily after the revolution, and he is also reported to have served in covert operations during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Hard-line campaign
Mr Ahmadinejad reportedly spent no money on his first presidential campaign in 2005 - but he was backed by powerful conservatives who used their network of mosques to mobilise support for him.
He also had the support of a group of younger, second-generation revolutionaries known as the Abadgaran, or Developers, who are strong in the Iranian parliament, the Majlis.
The campaign focused on poverty, social justice and the distribution of wealth inside Iran .
He also repeatedly defended his country's nuclear programme, which worried the US and European Union.
Confrontational
Once in power, Mr Ahmadinejad made a defiant speech at the UN on the nuclear issue and refused to back down on Tehran 's decision to resume uranium conversion.
He continues to defend what he says is his country's right to civilian nuclear energy and its missile development programme.
In June 2010 when the UN Security Council voted in favour of fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, he said they should be thrown in the dustbin like a "used handkerchief".
It insists it will not break its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and will not use its technology to make a nuclear bomb.
Holocaust denial
Mr Ahmadinejad has also angered Western powers with his views on Israel .
He has called for an end to the Israeli state and has described the Holocaust as a myth.
In October 2005, Mr Ahmadinejad made a statement in which he envisaged the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state.
He was quoting Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution, and his words were widely translated as a call for Israel to be "wiped off the map", though this translation is disputed.
That was quickly interpreted by Western news agencies as an oblique threat to Israel .
Mr Ahmadinejad has since stated that his speech was exaggerated and misinterpreted.
He denied that he meant military intervention and said instead that Israel 's "Zionist regime" would eventually collapse on its own.
During a speech at the UN in April 2009, he commented that Israel was a state founded on racist principles, an outburst that prompted a walk-out by delegates from at least 30 countries but earned him a hero's welcome on his return home.
'People's friend'
Mr Ahmadinejad has made some small-scale concessions to moderates since 2005.
He often speaks of women as being at the heart of Iranian society. He talks of empowering them and makes much of his plan to provide insurance for housewives and share Iran 's oil wealth with poorer families.
He said he would not be confrontational in enforcing a campaign in Tehran to insist women obeyed Iran 's strict Islamic dress codes and has also allowed women into major sporting events for the first time since 1979.
Mr Ahmadinejad maintains a populist streak, calling his personal website Mardomyar, or the People's Friend.
He also has a reputation for living a simple life and has campaigned against corruption.
BBC - 2 September 2012
Overview
The Iranian revolution put an end to the rule of the Shah, who had alienated powerful religious, political and popular forces with a programme of modernization and Westernization coupled with heavy repression of dissent. #
In 2002, US President George W Bush declared Iran as part of an "axis of evil" . While Mr Bush's successor, Barack Obama, has softened his tone, Washington continues to accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
In 2010, the UN voted to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over the issue. Two months later, Tehran announced that engineers had begun loading fuel into the Bushehr plant and described this as a milestone in the country's drive to produce nuclear energy.
Lack of progress on the nuclear issue increased tension with the UN, US and European Union through 2011, and the European Union announced a ban on Iranian oil imports that came into force in July 2012. As the EU buys 20% of Iran 's oil exports this was a significant step, although the UN says Iran continues to advance its nuclear programme.
The country has an abundance of energy resources - substantial oil reserves and natural gas reserves second only to those of Russia .
But the reformists, kept on the political defensive by powerful conservatives in the government and judiciary, failed to make good on their promises.
Former President Mohammad Khatami's support for greater social and political freedoms made him popular with the young - an important factor as around half of the population is under 25.
But his relatively liberal ideas put him at odds with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and hardliners reluctant to lose sight of established Islamic traditions.
The elections of June 2005 dealt a blow to the reformists when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran 's ultra-conservative mayor, became president.
Mr Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in June 2009 and the violent suppression of subsequent opposition protests has further widened the rift between conservatives and reformists within Iran 's political establishment.
At a glance
Politics: Conservatives have kept reformers at bay and retain power in the complex system of religious and democratic government
Economy: Iran holds 9% of world oil reserves; a critical shortfall in jobs has hit the young
International: Pressure continues to mount on Iran over its nuclear programme; the UN voted to impose further sanctions over the issue in June 2010
BBC - 14 December 2011
FACTS
Full name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Population: 74.8 million (UN, 2011)
Capital: Tehran
Area: 1.65 million sq km (636,313 sq miles)
Major language: Persian
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 10 Iranian rials = 1 toman
Main exports: Petroleum, carpets, agricultural products
GNI per capita: US $3,520 (World Bank, 2011)
Internet domain: .ir
International dialling code: +98
BBC - 2 September 2012
Leaders
Mr Ahmadinejad receives support from poorer and more religious Iranians
Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's leader since 1989, Ali Khameni has charted a hard-line course The Supreme Leader - the highest power in the land - appoints the head of the judiciary, military leaders, the head of radio and TV and Friday prayer leaders. He also confirms the election of Iran 's president.
Moreover, the Supreme Leader selects six members of the 12-member Guardian Council, an influential body which has to pass all legislation and which can veto would-be election candidates.
The Leader is chosen by the clerics who make up the Assembly of Experts. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was appointed for life in June 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. He previously served two consecutive terms as president in the 1980s.
He has intervened on behalf of conservatives, coming into conflict with former president Mohammad Khatami and other reformists.
Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed the results of the disputed presidential election of June 2009, which gave a landslide victory and a second term to his ally, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
However, the unprecedented defiance by opposition supporters to his call for an end to street protests against the result is thought to have undermined his authority.
There were further challenges to his authority during the violent protests that followed the death of leading dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri - a prominent critic of Ayatollah Khamenei - in December 2009.
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as Iran 's president in June 2009, amid a bitterly contested poll result which led to the most serious internal unrest seen in the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Official results from the 12 June election said that Mr Ahmadinejad had won 62.6% of the vote, while his closest challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, received 33.8%.
Amid claims of fraud and vote-rigging, opposition supporters took to the streets. Around 20 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested in the wave of protests that followed.
As tensions escalated, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw his weight behind Mr Ahmadinejad, while the powerful Guardian Council confirmed the result and ruled out any annulment. He was sworn in for his second term in August 2009.
The Iranian authorities claimed foreign interference was stoking the unrest, and singled out Britain for criticism.
Outspoken style
The ultra-conservative Mr Ahmadinejad served as Tehran 's mayor before winning a run-off vote in elections in June 2005, defeating his rival, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to become Iran 's first non-cleric president for 24 years.
Much of his support came from poorer and more religious sections of Iran 's rapidly growing population, particularly outside Tehran .
Promising an administration of "peace and moderation", he said his government would press on with Iran 's controversial nuclear programme.
His harsh rhetoric has often caused outrage abroad, most notably over Israel and Jews. He has likened Israel to a "cancer" and demanded its replacement with a Palestinian state, while describing the Holocaust as a "myth".
Mr Ahmadinejad has faced mounting criticism at home over his handling of the economy, with hardship on the rise as a result of falling oil prices and the UN sanctions imposed in response to Iran 's nuclear programme.
His sacking of Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in December 2010 was seen by analysts as part of a power struggle within the ruling conservative bloc - between the president and his pragmatic conservative opponents in the Iranian parliament.
The following April, tensions were revealed in Mr Ahmadinejad's relations with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei when the two men became engaged in an unusually public stand-off over the resignation of Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi.
Born near Tehran in 1956, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a former provincial governor and Revolutionary Guards officer. He was actively involved in the Islamic revolution and was a founding member of the student union that took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. But he denies being one of the hostage-takers.
BBC - 16 January 2012
Media
The struggle for influence and power in Iran is played out in the media.
All broadcasting from Iranian soil is controlled by the state and reflects official ideology. A wider range of opinion may be found online and in the printed press.
However, many pro-reform outlets have been closed and their writers and editors imprisoned. Iran is "among the five biggest prisons in the world" for journalists, Reporters Without Borders said in 2011.
Television is the most-popular medium, reaching more than 80% of Iranians. State-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting - IRIB - operates national and provincial services. Its international networks include English-language Press TV. The most-watched domestic network is IRIB's youth channel.
Despite a ban on using satellite equipment, foreign TV stations are widely watched; this is largely tolerated by the authorities.
Western broadcasters, including BBC Persian TV, target Iranian audiences. Their satellite broadcasts have suffered from deliberate interference from within Iran .
IRIB's radio channels include a parliamentary network, Radio Koran and a multilingual external service.
There are some 20 major national dailies, but few Iranians buy a newspaper every day. Sports titles are the biggest sellers.
There were 36.5 million internet users by June 2011, comprising nearly 50% of the population (InternetWorldStats.com). The web is the main forum for dissident voices. Access is easy to arrange and affordable for middle-class households.
News sites often have strong political leanings. There are tens of thousands of weblogs, with bloggers active in Iran and among the diaspora. Officials, including President Ahmadinezhad, have launched blogs.
The authorities exercise technical controls (filtering, limiting bandwidth) and implement legal and regulatory curbs. Censorship extends to political and human rights sites.
Blocked sites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. A Revolutionary Guard "cyber army" is said to hack opposition sites. Bloggers and online activists have been arrested.
The press
Sharq (The East) - reformist daily
E'temad - reformist daily
Kayhan (Universe) - conservative daily
Resalat (Message) - conservative daily
Jomhuri-ye-Eslami (Islamic Republic)- conservative daily
Jaam-e Jam (Jam's Cup) - large-circulation daily published by IRIB
Television
IRIB - state-run, operates provincial, national and international services
Press TV - IRIB's English-language satellite channel
Al-Alam - IRIB network in Arabic
Radio
IRIB - state-run, operates eight national networks, provincial services and an external service
News agencies
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) - state-run
Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) - English-language pages
Mehr News Agency - affiliated to Islamic Propagation Organisation, English-language pages
BBC - 9 September 2012
Photos:
Shah Mohammad Reza, a close ally of the US , pursued a policy of modernisation and secularisation
The 1979 revolution ended the Shah's increasingly autocratic rule and ushered in the Islamic Republic
Supporter of Lebanese militia: Iran is an ally of Lebanon 's powerful Shia Muslim Hezbollah group. Tehran says its support is moral, political. Israel , US accuse Iran of supplying arms. Group emerged in 1980s with financial backing from Iran .
The 2009 election sparked reformist protests and a brutal police response
Sanctions biting? : Iran has responded with defiance to ever tighter sanctions imposed by the UN and the West. UN ratified four rounds of sanctions between 2006 and 2010. EU has imposed trade, travel and oil export bans. US, UK and Canada have imposed sanctions on trade and financial institutions.
Timeline
A chronology of key events:
550-330 BC - Achaemenid dynasty rules the first Persian Empire . At its greatest extent under Darius I stretches from the Aegean Sea and Libya to the Indus Valley
492-479 - Persian attempts to conquer Greece fail.
330 - Alexander the Great of Macedon conquers the Persian Empire, founding a short-lived empire before dying in Babylon in 323.
312-140 - Most of Persia is part of the Greek-dominated (Hellenistic) Seleucid Empire, founded by a general of Alexander the Great.
140 BC - 224 AD - Persia become part of the Parthian Empire, ruled by the Arsacid dynasty.
224-651 AD - Sassanid dynasty rules Persian Empire ; Zoroastrianism is the dominant religion.
Advent of Islam
636 - Arab invasion brings end of Sassanid dynasty and start of Islamic rule.
9th century - Emergence of modern Persian language (or Farsi), written using a form of Arabic script.
9th-13th century - Decline of Islamic Caliphate; rise of Seljuk Turk dynasties.
1220 - Invasion by Mongol forces of Genghis Khan.
1501 - Shah Ismail I becomes first ruler of Islamic Safavid dynasty; Shi'i Islam declared state religion.
1639 - Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin (or Treaty of Zuhab) ends about 150 years of war against Ottoman Empire .
1828 - Iran cedes control of Caucasus to Russia after second Russo-Persian war.
1736 - Nadir Shah becomes monarch; end of Safavid dynasty.
1890 - "Tobacco Riots": ruler Naser al-Din Shah forced to withdraw trade concessions granted to Britain after mass protests.
1907 - Introduction of constitution which limits the absolutist powers of rulers.
1914-1918 - Iran declares neutrality but is scene of heavy fighting during World War I.
1925 December - Parliament votes to make Reza Khan ruler.
1921 February - Military commander Reza Khan seizes power.
1923 - Reza Khan becomes prime minister.
1926 April - Reza Khan crowned Reza Shah Pahlavi. Mohammad Reza, the Shah's eldest son, is proclaimed Crown Prince.
Shah installed
1935 - Formerly known as Persia , Iran is adopted as the country's official name.
1941 - The Shah's pro-Axis allegiance in World War II leads to the Anglo-Russian occupation of Iran and the deposition of the Shah in favour of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
1950 - Ali Razmara becomes prime minister and is assassinated less than nine months later. He is succeeded by the nationalist, Mohammad Mossadeq.
1951 April - Parliament votes to nationalise the oil industry, which is dominated by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Britain imposes an embargo and a blockade, halting oil exports and hitting the economy. A power struggle between the Shah and Mossadeq ensues and the Shah flees the country in August 1953.
1953 August - Mossadeq is overthrown in a coup engineered by the British and American intelligence services. General Fazlollah Zahedi is proclaimed as prime minister and the Shah returns.
Campaign to modernise
1963 January - The Shah embarks on a campaign to modernise and westernise the country. He launches the 'White Revolution', a programme of land reform and social and economic modernisation. During the late 1960's the Shah became increasingly dependent on the secret police (SAVAK) in controlling those opposition movements critical of his reforms.
1978 September - The Shah's policies alienate the clergy and his authoritarian rule leads to riots, strikes and mass demonstrations. Martial law is imposed.
Shah exiled, Khomeini returns
1979 January - As the political situation deteriorates, the Shah and his family are forced into exile.
1979 November - Islamic militants take 52 Americans hostage inside the US embassy in Tehran . They demand the extradition of the Shah, in the US at the time for medical treatment, to face trial in Iran .
1979 1 February - The Islamic fundamentalist, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returns to Iran following 14 years of exile in Iraq and France for opposing the regime.
1979 1 April - The Islamic Republic of Iran is proclaimed following a referendum.
1980 January - Abolhasan Bani-Sadr is elected the first President of the Islamic Republic. His government begins work on a major nationalization programme.
1980 July - The exiled Shah dies of cancer in Egypt .
Iran-Iraq war
1980 22 September - Start of Iran -Iraq war which lasts for eight years.
1981 January - The American hostages are released ending 444 days in captivity.
1981 June - Bani-Sadr is dismissed, he later flees to France .
1985 - After the US and Soviet Union halted arms supplies, the US attempted to win the release of hostages in Lebanon by offering secret arms deals, this would later become known as the Iran-Contra affair.
1988 July - 290 passengers and the crew of an Iran Air Airbus are mistakenly shot down by the USS Vincennes.
Ceasefire
1988 July - Iran accepts a ceasefire agreement with Iraq following negotiations in Geneva under the aegis of the UN.
1989 February - Ayatollah Khomeini issues a religious edict (fatwa) ordering Muslims to kill British author, Salman Rushdie, for his novel, 'The Satanic Verses', considered blasphemous to Islam.
1989 3 June - Ayatollah Khomeini dies. On 4 June, President Khamene'i is appointed as new supreme leader.
1989 August - Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani is sworn in as the new president.
1989 November - The US releases 567 million dollars of frozen Iranian assets.
Major earthquake kills thousands
1990 June - A major earthquake strikes Iran , killing approximately 40,000 people.
1990 - Iran remains neutral following Iraq 's invasion of Kuwait .
1990 September - Iran and Iraq resume diplomatic ties.
US imposes sanctions
1995 - US imposes oil and trade sanctions over Iran 's alleged sponsorship of "terrorism", seeking to acquire nuclear arms and hostility to the Middle East process. Iran denies the charges.
1997 May - Mohammad Khatami wins the presidential election with 70% of the vote, beating the conservative ruling elite.
1998 September - Iran deploys thousands of troops on its border with Afghanistan after the Taleban admits killing eight Iranian diplomats and a journalist in Mazar-e Sharif.
Student protests
1999 July - Pro-democracy students at Tehran University
2000 February - Majlis elections. Liberals and supporters of Khatami wrest control of parliament from conservatives for the first time.
2000 April - The judiciary, following the adoption of a new press law, bans the publication of 16 reformist newspapers.
2000 May - Inauguration of the Sixth parliament.
Khatami's second term
2001 June - President Khatami re-elected.
2002 January - US President George Bush describes Iraq , Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil", warning of the proliferation of long-range missiles being developed in these countries. The speech causes outrage in Iran and is condemned by reformists and conservatives alike.
2002 September - Russian technicians begin construction of Iran 's first nuclear reactor at Bushehr despite strong objections from US.
2003 June - Thousands attend student-led protests in Tehran against clerical establishment.
2003 September - UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, gives Tehran weeks to prove it is not pursuing an atomic weapons programme.
2003 October - Shirin Ebadi becomes Iran 's first Nobel Peace Prize winner; lawyer and human rights campaigner became Iran 's first female judge in 1975 but was forced to resign after 1979 revolution.
2003 November - Iran says it is suspending its uranium enrichment programme and will allow tougher UN inspections of its nuclear facilities. IAEA concludes there is no evidence of a weapons programme.
2003 December - 40,000 people are killed in an earthquake in south-east Iran ; the city of Bam is devastated.
Conservative resurgence
2004 February - Conservatives regain control of parliament in elections. Thousands of reformist candidates were disqualified by the hardline Council of Guardians before the polls.
Nuclear crisis
2005 August-September - Tehran says it has resumed uranium conversion at its Isfahan plant and insists the programme is for peaceful purposes. IAEA finds Iran in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
2004 June - Iran is rebuked by the IAEA for failing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into its nuclear activities.
2004 November - Iran agrees to suspend most of its uranium enrichment under a deal with the EU.
2005 June - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran's ultra-conservative mayor, wins a run-off vote in presidential elections, defeating cleric and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
2006 January - Iran breaks IAEA seals at its Natanz nuclear research facility.
Bomb attacks in the southern city of Ahvaz - the scene of sporadic unrest in recent months - kill eight people and injure more than 40.
2006 February - IAEA votes to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities. Iran resumes uranium enrichment at Natanz.
2006 April - Iran says it has succeeded in enriching uranium at its Natanz facility.
2006 31 August - UN Security Council deadline for Iran to halt its work on nuclear fuel passes. IAEA says Tehran has failed to suspend the programme.
Holocaust denial
2006 December - Iran hosts a controversial conference on the Holocaust; delegates include Holocaust deniers.
UN Security Council votes to impose sanctions on Iran 's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology. Iran condemns the resolution and vows to speed up uranium enrichment work.
2007 February - IAEA says Iran failed to meet a deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, exposing Tehran to possible new sanctions.
2007 March - Diplomatic stand-off with Britain after Iran detains 15 British sailors and marines patrolling the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway separating Iran and Iraq .
2007 April - President Ahmadinejad says Iran can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale.
IAEA says Iran has begun making nuclear fuel in its underground uranium enrichment plant. It also says that Iran has started up more than 1,300 centrifuge machines.
2007 May - IAEA says Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in three to eight years if it so chooses.
2007 June - Protests erupt after government imposes petrol rationing amid fears of possible UN sanctions.
2007 July - Iran announces plans to stop making cars that only run on petrol and switch to dual-fuel vehicles, which also run on gas.
New sanctions
2007 October - US announces sweeping new sanctions against Iran , the toughest since it first imposed sanctions almost 30 years ago.
2007 December - A new US intelligence report plays down the perceived nuclear threat posed by Iran .
2008 February - Iran launches a research rocket to inaugurate a newly built space centre. Washington describes the launch as "unfortunate".
2008 March - President Ahmadinejad makes unprecedented official visit to Iraq , where he calls on foreign troops to leave. He also stresses his government's desire to help rebuild Iraq and signs a number of cooperation agreements.
Conservatives win over two-thirds of seats in parliamentary elections in which many pro-reform candidates were disbarred from standing. The conservatives include supporters of President Ahmadinejad as well as more pragmatic conservatives who oppose his confrontational foreign policy.
UN Security Council tightens economic and trade sanctions on Tehran .
2008 May - IAEA says Iran is still withholding information on its nuclear programme.
Incentives offered
2008 June - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presents an offer of trade benefits, which Tehran says it will look at, but will reject if it demands suspension of uranium enrichment.
2008 July - Iran test-fires a new version of the Shahab-3, a long-range missile it says is capable of hitting targets in Israel .
2008 August - Informal deadline set by Western officials for Iran to respond to package of incentives in return for halt in nuclear activities passes without reply.
2008 September - UN Security Council passes unanimously a new resolution reaffirming demands that Iran stop enriching uranium, but imposes no new sanctions. The text was agreed after Russia said it would not support further sanctions.
Relations with US
2008 November - Parliament votes to dismiss the interior minister, Ali Kordan, who admitted that a degree he said he held from Oxford University
In an unprecedented move, President Ahmadinejad congratulates US president-elect Barack Obama on his election win. Mr Obama has offered to open unconditional dialogue with Iran about its nuclear programme.
2008 December - Police raid and close the office of a human rights group led by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi. Officials say the centre is acting as an illegal political organization.
2009 February - Speaking on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran , President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he would welcome talks with the US as long as they are based on "mutual respect".
2009 March - Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tells anti-Israel rally that US President Obama is following the "same misguided track" in Middle East as President Bush.
2009 April - An Iranian court finds Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi guilty of spying for the US . She is sentenced to eight years in prison.
2009 May - Iran rejects a US state department report saying it remains the "most active state sponsor of terrorism" in the world.
Jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi is freed and returns to US.
Election protests
2009 June - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is declared to have won a resounding victory in the 12 June presidential election. The rival candidates challenge the result, alleging vote-rigging. Their supporters take to the streets, and at least 30 people are killed and more than 1,000 arrested in the wave of protests that follow.
The Iranian authorities claim foreign interference is stoking the unrest, and single out Britain for criticism.
2009 July - President Ahmadinejad dismisses his most senior vice-president, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, under pressure to do so by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
2009 August - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sworn in for second term as president, presents cabinet - the first since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979 to include women.
A number of senior opposition figures are accused of conspiring with foreign powers to organise unrest and are put on trial.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says there is no proof that opposition leaders blamed for the post-election unrest were agents of foreign powers.
Missile tests
2009 September - Iran admits that it is building a uranium enrichment plant near Qom , but insists it is for peaceful purposes.
The country test-fires a series of medium- and longer-range missiles that put Israel and US bases in the Gulf within potential striking range.
2009 October - Five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany offer Iran proposal to enrich its uranium abroad.
2009 November - Iran refuses to accept the international proposal to end the dispute over its nuclear programme. UN nuclear watchdog IAEA passes a resolution condemning Iran for developing a second uranium enrichment site in secret.
2009 December - Death of influential dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri triggers further clashes between opposition supporters and security forces. At least 8 people die in what is the worst violence since the contested presidential election.
2010 January - Iran executes two men arrested during the period of unrest that followed the disputed presidential election of June 2009. It also puts 16 people on trial over the Ashura Day opposition protests in December, when eight people were killed.
Iranian physics professor Masoud Ali-Mohammadi is killed in a bomb attack in Tehran . No group claims responsibility. The government accuses the US and Israel of his death, while Iranian opposition groups say Mr Mohammadi supported one of their candidates in last year's presidential election.
2010 February - Iran says it is ready to send enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment under a deal agreed with the West. The US calls on Tehran to match its words with actions.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says the opposition will continue its peaceful struggle against the government.
2010 May - Iran reaches a deal to send uranium abroad for enrichment after mediation talks with Turkey and Brazil; Western states respond with scepticism, saying the agreement will not stop Iran from continuing to enrich uranium.
More sanctions
2010 June - UN Security Council imposes fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, including tighter financial curbs and an expanded arms embargo.
2010 July - International outcry as a woman is sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
27 killed as suicide bombers attack a Shia mosque in Zahedan near the Pakistan border.
2010 August - In what Tehran describes as a milestone in its drive to produce nuclear energy, engineers begin loading fuel into the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
2010 September - Stuxnet - a computer worm which affects industrial systems and which may have been created by a nation-state - is reportedly detected in staff computers at the Bushehr nuclear plant.
Sarah Shourd, a US citizen caught hiking with two friends near the Iran-Iraq border, is freed after a year in prison. The three deny they were spying.
US imposes unprecedented sanctions against eight senior Iranian officials for human rights violations.
2010 October - A former British embassy employee jailed in 2009 for espionage has his sentence commuted.
2010 December - Main achievement of talks in Geneva between Iran and key world powers on Iran 's nuclear programme is to agree to hold another round of talks in Istanbul in January.
President Ahmadinejad sacks Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, thought to be his main opponent within Iranian leadership.
2011 January - Nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran now possesses technology needed to make fuel plates and rods for nuclear reactors.
2011 February - First mass opposition demonstrations in a year amid a wave of unrest rippling across the Middle East and North Africa .
Leadership rift
2011 April - Rare public row between Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad over the resignation of Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi.
2011 May - Iran 's Atomic Energy Organisation says the generating unit at the Bushehr nuclear power plant has begun operating at a low level.
2011 August - Two US citizens arrested on the Iran-Iraq border in 2009 are found guilty of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison.
2011 September - Iran announces that the Bushehr nuclear power station has been connected to the national grid.
2011 October - The US accuses Iran of being behind an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington . Tehran rejects the charges as part of an American propaganda campaign.
2011 November - A report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA says Iran is carrying out research that can only be used to develop a nuclear bomb trigger. Iran rejects the findings as politically motivated.
2011 November/December - Protesters attack the British embassy in Tehran after London imposes tighter economic sanctions. Britain evacuates its diplomatic staff and expels all Iranian diplomats, but ties are not severed.
Oil sanctions and Straits stand-off
2012 January - US imposes sanctions on Iran 's central bank, the main clearing-house for its oil export profits. Iranian threatens to block the transport of oil through the Strait of Hormuz .
2012 February - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors leave Iran after being denied access to the Parchin site, south of Tehran .
US, British and French warships pass unhindered through the Strait of Hormuz .
2012 March-May - Supporters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei beat those of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in parliamentary polls boycotted by pro-reform groups.
2012 May - UN nuclear inspectors find traces of uranium enriched at 27% at Iran 's Fordo nuclear site, a day after Iran and world powers hold inconclusive talks on Iran 's nuclear programme in Baghdad .
2012 June - US exempts seven major customers - India, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Turkey - from economic sanctions in return for their cutting imports of Iranian oil.
2012 July - European Union boycott of Iranian oil exports comes into effect.
2012 September - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) quarterly report says Iran doubles production capacity at Fordo nuclear site and "significantly hampered" IAEA ability to inspect Parchin military site.
BBC - Monday, 28 December 2009
Q&A: Iran
Protesters have used officially sanctioned rallies to make their mark
Protesters are becoming fearless in the face of state repression
The Green Movement says more than 70 of its supporters have been killed
How did the crisis in Iran begin?
It all started when the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June was disputed by the three defeated candidates - all establishment figures in Iran . #
Two of them, former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Mousavi and the former speaker of parliament and senior cleric, Mehdi Karroubi, have since become leaders of the nationwide opposition Green Movement, after its signature colour.
They and millions of Iranians demanded a re-run at mass protests that drew the largest crowds since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. However, the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted the result was valid and Mr Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term in August.
Despite increased security, official warnings and often brutal crackdowns on opposition figures, journalists and ordinary demonstrators, the Green Movement has continued to protest against the result and demand the president resign.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters clashed with the security forces and members of pro-government militia on Quds (Jerusalem) Day in September, the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran in November, and on National Students Day at the start of December.
The Green Movement says more than 70 of its supporters have been killed since June, a figure the authorities dispute. At least five people have been sentenced to death, and dozens imprisoned.
The death on 20 December of Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri, a long-time and influential critic of Iran 's leaders, gave new impetus to the opposition.
There were further violent anti-government protests across the country 10 days later on Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Shia Muslim calendar. At least eight people were killed in Tehran and Tabriz , including Mr Mousavi's nephew.
What next for the protesters?
The opposition has adopted the tactic of using the relative safety of officially-sanctioned demonstrations on important days in the religious and political calendar to come out in big numbers and turn the official rallies into a show of force of its own, with an entirely different and opposing set of slogans.
They did this on Quds Day, the anniversary of the seizure of US embassy, National Students Day and Ashura, despite warnings by the government that unauthorised demonstrations would be put down.
The opposition leaders have promised to use similar occasions in the future to come out on the streets to voice their demands for change.
The violent response of the protesters to the security forces on Ashura - attacking troops with their bare hands, throwing stones and setting police cars on fire - also suggests many are becoming fearless in the face of repression.
The authorities have not sought to target either Mr Mousavi or Mr Karroubi, but have instead arrested many of their closest aides and family members. Members of the government of former President Mohammed Khatami, a prominent reformist, have also been detained, as have journalists and human rights activists.
But BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says neither side appears to have a clear strategy of what to do next. The opposition is leaderless, while the government is still pretending there are just a handful of troublemakers, he says.
What is going on behind the scenes?
There is a good deal of debate within the government, and the Islamic authorities as a whole, as to how to deal with the opposition. So far, the hardliners have had the upper hand.
They have ordered a crackdown on the Green Movement in the hope that this will force it off the streets and prevent upheaval like the recent pro-Western "colour revolutions" in Eastern Europe . However, the continued show of defiance has undermined them.
Several powerful members of the establishment, including former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, have criticised the authorities and called for reconciliation.
Opposition leaders have warned that the government, feeling the pressure from within Iran , might choose to make concessions abroad on international issues.
There have been signs that President Ahmadinejad and his supporters may be pursuing a different and more conciliatory line to that of Ayatollah Khamenei on Iran 's dispute with the international community over its nuclear issue.
How is Iran divided?
There is growing divide between the government and the regime as a whole on one side and a good number of Iranians on the other.
The opposition demonstrators have been directing a lot of their anger at Ayatollah Khamenei, some even calling for him to be replaced.
He is seen by them as the power behind the crackdown, Mr Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election, and behind many of the president's domestic and foreign polices which have brought more hardship to Iranians.
The fact that the demonstrations are now regularly taking place in cities other than just the capital, Tehran , is not a comforting sign for the government.
Can Ayatollah Khamenei be challenged?
Under Iran 's form of government, known as Velayat e-Faqih - rule of the jurist in Farsi - the Supreme Leader has far-reaching powers. He appoints the head of the judiciary, six of the members of the powerful Guardian Council, the commanders of all the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders and the head of radio and TV. He also confirms the president's election.
In theory, the Supreme Leader could be dismissed by the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of Islamic scholars currently chaired by Mr Rafsanjani. However, it has never before questioned the authority of Ayatollah Khamenei or his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
BBC - Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Who's who in Iran
Conservative clerics play an important part in political life in Iran
As the situation in Iran becomes increasingly volatile, we take a look at the players in Iranian society.#
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
He appoints the head of the judiciary, six of the 12 members of the powerful Guardian Council, the commanders of all the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders and the head of radio and TV. He also confirms the president's election.
Khamenei was a key figure in the Islamic revolution in Iran and a close confidant of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. He was later president of Iran from 1981 to 1989 before becoming Supreme Leader for life.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been Iran 's president since 2005, was actively involved in the Islamic revolution and was a founding member of the student union that took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. But he denies being one of the hostage-takers.
He became the first non-cleric to be elected president since 1981 when he won a run-off vote against former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in elections in June 2005.
He is a hard-liner both at home - where he does not favour the development or reform of political institutions - and abroad, where he has maintained an anti-Western attitude and combative stance on Tehran 's nuclear programme.
Much of his support comes from poorer and more religious sections of Iran 's rapidly growing population, particularly outside Tehran .
Mir Hossein Mousavi
The 68-year-old former prime minister stayed out of politics for some years but returned to stand as a moderate in the 2009 presidential poll which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power amid widespread allegations of vote rigging.
Mir Hossein Mousavi was born in East Azerbaijan Province and moved to Tehran to study architecture at university.
He is married to Zahra Rahnavard, a former chancellor of Alzahra University and political advisor to Iran 's former President Mohammad Khatami.
One of his closest associates and backers in this election was Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former President of Iran who now heads two of the regime's most powerful bodies: The Expediency Council (which adjudicates disputes over legislation) and the Assembly of Experts (which appoints, and can theoretically replace, the Supreme Leader).
Mehdi Karroubi
The 73-year-old cleric is a veteran politician who served as a member of Iran 's parliament for 16 years, and speaker for two terms.
The son of a Shia clerical family from Aligoudarz, south-west of Tehran , he gained his religious credentials in Qom before working as a commercial lawyer. A staunch supporter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he helped to organise protests against the Shah and was arrested and jailed several times in the run up to the revolution.
He came third in the 2005 presidential elections and fourth in 2009, alleging widespread fraud and publicly accusing the regime of rights abuses against protesters in the crackdown that followed.
He currently leads the National Trust Party, which champions greater personal rights and freedoms, the empowerment of women, and tolerance of religious minorities.
He is married to Fatemeh Karroubi, a social activist who led his campaign in Tehran . They have four sons.
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been a dominant figure in Iranian politics since the 1980s.
Described as a "pragmatic conservative", he is part of the religious establishment, but he is open to a broader range of views and has been more reflective on relations with the West.
Mr Rafsanjani was president for eight years from 1987 and ran again in 2005. He lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the second round. He has been openly critical of the president since then.
He is still a powerful figure in Iranian politics as he heads two of the regime's most powerful bodies: the Expediency Council (which adjudicates disputes over legislation) and the Assembly of Experts (which appoints, and can theoretically replace, the Supreme Leader). He is also a wealthy businessman.
The Reformists
The Iranian reform movement is a political movement led by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported Mohammad Khatami's plans to introduce more freedom and democracy.
In 1997, Khatami was elected president on a platform of greater freedom of expression, as well as measures to tackle unemployment and boost privatisation. However, much of his initial liberalisations were stymied by resistance from the country's conservative institutions.
He initially stood for election in 2009 but later stood aside and lent his support to Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Other key reformist figures include Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Hadi Khamenei, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and Mostafa Tajzadeh.
One of their spiritual mentors, and a fierce critic of the regime, was Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri , who died in December 2009.
The Revolutionary Guard and the Army
The armed forces comprise the Revolutionary Guard and the regular forces. The two bodies are under a joint general command.
It has since become a major military, political and economic force in Iran , with close ties to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former member.
The force is estimated to have 125,000 active troops. It boasts its own ground forces, navy and air force, and oversees Iran 's strategic weapons.
The Guards also have a powerful presence in civilian institutions and are thought to control around a third of Iran 's economy through a series of subsidiaries and trusts.
The Militias
The Revolutionary Guard also controls the Basij Resistance Force, an Islamic volunteer militia of about 90,000 men and woman with an additional capacity to mobilise nearly 1m.
The Basij, or Mobilisation of the Oppressed, are often called out onto the streets at times of crisis to use force to dispel dissent. There are branches in every town.
The Clerics
Clerics dominate Iranian society.
Only clerics can be elected to the Assembly of Experts, which appoints the Supreme Leader, monitors his performance and can in theory remove him if he is deemed incapable of fulfilling his duties. The Assembly is currently headed by Iran 's former President Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is described as pragmatic and conservative.
Former President Mohammad Khatami accused the clerics of obstructing his reforms and warned against the dangers of religious "despotism".
Clerics also dominate the judiciary, which is based on Sharia (Islamic) law.
In recent years, conservative hardliners have used the judicial system to undermine reforms by imprisoning reformist personalities and journalists and closing down reformist papers.
BBC - Thursday, 18 June 2009
Profile: Basij militia force
Women of any age can join the Basiji al-Zahra (all women) sections
The Basij militia answers to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei
The Basij militia is an Iranian volunteer force of Islamic government loyalists which is often called out onto the streets at times of crisis to dispel dissent.
The force was originally set up by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 as a resistance force during the Iran-Iraq war. #
They received limited training and were used for "human wave" attacks, for example being asked to clear Iraqi minefields by walking across them.
The size of the militia is an open question.
Many Iranian officials cite 20m - the number that Ayatollah Khomeini once suggested would be an invincible force - but independent estimates put the force at as little as 400,000.
A 2005 study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the United States , estimated 90,000 full-time, uniformed, active-duty Basij members and 300,000 reservists. There are also believed to about a million affiliates who can could be mobilized if need be.
The Basij-e Mostaz'afin, (literally Mobilization of the Oppressed in Farsi), officially known as the Basij Resistance Force (Nirouye Moqavemate Basij), has branches in every town.
It is commanded by a senior cleric and is an auxiliary arm of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Moral guardians
Historically Basijis (militia members) have been pro-regime and the force has seen a revival under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In past elections, large numbers of the rank and file in the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia were reported to have voted not just for hardliners like Mr Ahmadinejad, but also for reformist candidates.
But there is no doubt that Mr Ahmadinejad still has large support from within the Basij militia, which is made up, in large part, of boys from poor, religious families, often from rural areas, who have benefited from government policies in the last four years.
Aside from being used to quell civil unrest, Basijis are employed as overseers of civilian behaviour, enforcing dress codes, emergency management and the suppression of dissident gatherings.
In the days following the 2009 presidential elections, members of the militia were accused of being responsible for the deaths of seven anti-Ahmadinejad protesters after they fired at a crowd that had attacked a Basij compound.
They were also accused of attacking students at Tehran University
Despite usually being seen as beyond scrutiny, the interior ministry agreed to an investigation following a call from the parliament speaker, Ali Larijani.
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