Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Mojahedin of
the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the
Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups
include the Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran
party; armed political groups that have been almost completely
repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization
(MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan; the
Society for the Defense of Freedom

International organization participation: CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP,
FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note--Iran has an
Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy, headed by Fariborz
JAHANSUZAN; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy,
965-4990

Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note--protecting
power in Iran is Switzerland

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of
the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR
(God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the
bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the
red band

Economy

Economy--overview: Iran's economy is a mixture of central
planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises,
village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service
ventures. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market
reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI and has indicated that
he will pursue diversification of Iran's oil-reliant economy
although he has made little progress toward that goal. In the early
1990s, Iran experienced a financial crisis and was forced to
reschedule $15 billion in debt. The strong oil market in 1996 helped
ease financial pressures on Iran and allowed for Tehran's timely
debt service payments. Iran's financial situation tightened in 1997
and deteriorated further in 1998 because of lower oil prices. As a
result Iran has begun to cut imports and fall into arrears on its
debt payments.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$339.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -2