Iran

Iran as this archive records it. Every line in the reporting sections below is a headline that was collected, with its outlet and date. Nothing here is written by a model: if a claim appears, some outlet made it, and this page does not say whether it is true. The Background section is different in kind: those lines are encyclopedic facts from a reference work, each cited to the source it came from.

Situation as of 2026-08-25

Most recent archived item: Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions - reported by Al-Monitor

Most recent archived item: Al-Monitor

This page lists 12 archived headlines published between 2026-02-26 and 2026-08-25. It reflects what these feeds reported in that window, not everything that happened.

Reporting by provenance

The tag records where a report came from, not who is fighting. A state outlet is named with its affiliation attached.

Other archived reporting

Items on this subject with no side recorded against them.

• [1] 2026-08-25 (ingested; no publication date recorded) - Al-Monitor: Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions
• [2] 2026-08-24 - IRNA, Iranian state: Pakistan’s army chief leaves for Iran
• [3] 2026-08-24 - Middle East Eye: Iran blacklists 45 tankers in Hormuz escalation
• [4] 2026-07-28 - outlet not recorded: Zelensky's dangerous gambit to merge the Iran and Ukraine Wars
• [5] 2026-07-26 - outlet not recorded: U.S. pauses attacks on Iran for a second straight day and Tehran does too
• [6] 2026-06-18 - outlet not recorded: Time to Repeal INARA and Move Forward with the Iran MoU
• [7] 2026-06-14 - outlet not recorded: Meeks Welcomes Iran Diplomacy, But Demands Details
• [8] 2026-06-06 - ynet.co.il: Gaza is a step away from catastrophe
• [9] 2026-05-08 - outlet not recorded: Helvetian hypocrisy and Iran
• [10] 2026-05-07 - outlet not recorded: Teach About Iran | CFR Education Blog
• [11] 2026-05-01 - outlet not recorded: Recalling Damascus on the Hudson
• [12] 2026-04-26 - outlet not recorded: Iran and U.S. Sink Into Awkward Limbo of ‘No War, No Peace’
• ...and 54 more not listed here.

Background

Encyclopedic context, retrieved from a reference work and archived. It is not war reporting and is not counted as any.

History

• [13] Background: Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. - CIA World Factbook
• [14] Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. - CIA World Factbook
• [15] Background: US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. - CIA World Factbook

Leaders

• [16] Chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) - CIA World Factbook
• [17] Head of government: President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024) - CIA World Factbook

Geography

• [18] Area: 1,648,195 sq km - CIA World Factbook
• [19] Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan - CIA World Factbook
• [20] Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur - CIA World Factbook
• [21] Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts - CIA World Factbook

Climate

• [22] Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast - CIA World Factbook

Culture

• [23] Ethnic groups: Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes - CIA World Factbook
• [24] Languages: Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic - CIA World Factbook
• [25] Religions: Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.) - CIA World Factbook

Government

• [26] Capital: Tehran - CIA World Factbook
• [27] Government type: theocratic republic - CIA World Factbook
• [28] Legal system: religious system based on secular and Islamic law - CIA World Factbook

Demographics

• [29] Life expectancy: 75.6 years (2024 est.) - CIA World Factbook
• [30] Literacy: 86% (2016 est.) - CIA World Factbook
• [31] Major urban areas: 9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023) - CIA World Factbook
• [32] Median age: 35.2 years (2025 est.) - CIA World Factbook
• [33] Population: 89,177,357 (2025 est.) - CIA World Factbook
• [34] Urbanization: 77.3% of total population (2023) - CIA World Factbook

Military

• [35] Branches: the military forces of Iran are divided between the Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Sepah):; Artesh: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Air Force, Air Defense Forces; IRGC: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Aerospace Force (controls strategic missile force), Qods Force (aka Quds Force; special operations), Cyber Electronic Command, Basij Paramilitary Forces; Ministry of Interior: Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA); Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025) - CIA World Factbook
• [36] Equipment: the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and US origin (US equipment acquired prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979); it also has some military equipment from North Korea such as midget submarines and ballistic missiles; in recent years, Iran has received some newer equipment from Russia; Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs (2025) - CIA World Factbook
• [37] Expenditures: 2% of GDP (2024 est.) - CIA World Factbook
• [38] Personnel: information varies; up to 600,000 total active armed forces personnel; estimated 400,000 Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (350,000 Ground Forces; 18,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force/Air Defense Forces); up to estimated 190,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (100-150,000 Ground Forces; 20,000 Navy; 15,000 Aerospace Force; 5,000 Qods Force); estimated 90,000 active Basij Paramilitary Forces (2025) - CIA World Factbook

Publication history

What changed and when. Computed from the sources each revision cited, not written by anyone.

• rev 1, 2026-08-25 — first published from 12 source(s)
• rev 2, 2026-08-25 — +5 source(s)
• rev 3, 2026-08-25 — sources changed (16 → 12)
• rev 4, 2026-08-25 — +6 source(s)
• rev 5, 2026-08-25 — rebuilt with no change of sources
• rev 6, 2026-08-25 — rebuilt with no change of sources
• rev 7, 2026-08-25 — rebuilt with no change of sources
• rev 8, 2026-08-25 — rebuilt with no change of sources

Sources

Where a durable link was recorded, it is here. Google News items carry a redirect stub rather than an article and are listed above without one.

• [1] Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions - https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787653856.55261/
• [2] Pakistan’s army chief leaves for Iran - https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787686101.586531/
• [3] Iran blacklists 45 tankers in Hormuz escalation - https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787686101.587316/
• [8] Gaza is a step away from catastrophe - https://archive.isnull.dev/archive/1787653495.040124/
• [13] Background: Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. - 1787695007.498618
• [14] Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. - 1787695007.498618
• [15] Background: US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. - 1787695007.498618
• [16] Chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) - 1787695007.498618
• [17] Head of government: President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024) - 1787695007.498618
• [18] Area: 1,648,195 sq km - 1787695007.498618
• [19] Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan - 1787695007.498618
• [20] Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur - 1787695007.498618
• [21] Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts - 1787695007.498618
• [22] Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast - 1787695007.498618
• [23] Ethnic groups: Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes - 1787695007.498618
• [24] Languages: Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic - 1787695007.498618
• [25] Religions: Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [26] Capital: Tehran - 1787695007.498618
• [27] Government type: theocratic republic - 1787695007.498618
• [28] Legal system: religious system based on secular and Islamic law - 1787695007.498618
• [29] Life expectancy: 75.6 years (2024 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [30] Literacy: 86% (2016 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [31] Major urban areas: 9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023) - 1787695007.498618
• [32] Median age: 35.2 years (2025 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [33] Population: 89,177,357 (2025 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [34] Urbanization: 77.3% of total population (2023) - 1787695007.498618
• [35] Branches: the military forces of Iran are divided between the Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Sepah):; Artesh: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Air Force, Air Defense Forces; IRGC: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Aerospace Force (controls strategic missile force), Qods Force (aka Quds Force; special operations), Cyber Electronic Command, Basij Paramilitary Forces; Ministry of Interior: Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA); Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025) - 1787695007.498618
• [36] Equipment: the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and US origin (US equipment acquired prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979); it also has some military equipment from North Korea such as midget submarines and ballistic missiles; in recent years, Iran has received some newer equipment from Russia; Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs (2025) - 1787695007.498618
• [37] Expenditures: 2% of GDP (2024 est.) - 1787695007.498618
• [38] Personnel: information varies; up to 600,000 total active armed forces personnel; estimated 400,000 Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (350,000 Ground Forces; 18,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force/Air Defense Forces); up to estimated 190,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (100-150,000 Ground Forces; 20,000 Navy; 15,000 Aerospace Force; 5,000 Qods Force); estimated 90,000 active Basij Paramilitary Forces (2025) - 1787695007.498618

Images

Iran flag. (SVG file: SiBr4Designer: Hamid NadimiConstruction: ISIRI, Public domain)

Iran locator map. (P30Carl, CC BY-SA 3.0)

How this page is made

Assembled directly from the war archive: no model writes any part of it, so nothing on it can be invented, mis-summarised or attributed to an outlet that did not say it. The cost is that it does not read as narrative - the archive stores headlines, not article text, and this page does not pretend otherwise. The Background section is not from the war archive: those facts are retrieved from a reference work, archived, and cited individually. Background source: CIA World Factbook (public domain).