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Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Caspian sea, Azerbaijan,…
Iran
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Iran is not Arabic, instead having the majority of the population speaking Farsi. It is bigger than France, Germany and the UK put together, but has only 39% of the population, 78 million to the combined 200 million
Most people in Iran live in the mountains (the Elburz and the Zagros) as the deserts and salt plains inside Iran are almost uninhabitable. These two mountain ranges cover nearly all of Iran's borders, The Zagros mountains lying along the borders of Turkey, Iraq and the Persian Gulf, and the Elburz mountains lying along the borders of Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. This protects Iran against invaders- the last to make any progress at all were the Mongols in 1219-21
The major Iranian oilfields are in the Shatt al-Arab, the plain that divides Iran and Iraq, with others in the north and centre. Overall, these oilfields comprise the world's fourth-largest reserves, the three higher being in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Canada.
An Israeli air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities may be a constant threat, but there are a few reasons why this is unlikely to happen
- A straight line from Israel to Iran is 1000 miles, and crosses two international borders, Jordan and Iraq (who would most likely warn Iran about the imminent danger
- Any other route requires refuelling, which Israel cannot manage at the moment, and also flies over sovereign territory.
- Iran holds a trump card- The Strait of Hormuz. Depending on sales, about 20% of the world's oil needs pass through the strait each day, and the strait is only 21 miles across at its narrowest point. The world is afraid of the Strait being closed for many months, leading to spiralling prices, and so encourages Israel not to take action
Iran also has a nuclear industry. Many countries, including Israel, think that this is in preparation for nuclear weapons. The Israelis feel threatened by the presence of nuclear weapons, especially Iranian ones. Not only would Iran be able to wipe out Israel with a single bomb, but also this might encourage or scare other countries into investing in nuclear weapons too.
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