Iran

Iran is a country in West-Asia. The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area, Iran has a population of over seventy million. It is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. As a home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, it's historical and urban settlements date back to 7000 BC.
In June 2009 there were mass demonstrations of mainly students against the re-election of president Achmadinejad, who was accused of fraud. After a speech of religious leader Ali Khamenei, the demonstrations were beaten down bloody by the authorities.