Returning Syria's foreign families
In northeastern Syria, thousands of ISIL-linked families are left stranded in detention camps, waiting to be repatriated.
Now with a new government in Damascus, and a region in flux, Al Jazeera's Nils Adler takes us through his journey to find the son of a man who joined the group.
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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
A simple visual guide to Iran and its people
Iran has re-emerged at the centre of international attention, following Israeli attacks on the Middle East's second-largest country on June 13. Stretching from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south, Iran's landscape is as varied as its history, with key access to critical waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Iran's history spans millennia, making it one of the world's most ancient and culturally rich nations, continuously inhabited and influential throughout history. In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera provides a snapshot of Iran's geography, key cities, population makeup, and ethnic diversity. With a population of 92 million, Iran is the 17th-largest country in the world by population and land area. Iran's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is $418bn, ranking it 36th in terms of the economy size. It has an unemployment rate of about 7.2 percent. The country's adult literacy rate is 89 percent, with youth literacy nearing 99 percent, though these rates vary between rural and urban areas. The country is rich in oil and gas, ranking as the world's ninth-largest oil producer and third-largest natural gas in Western Asia, Iran is the second-largest country in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and the 17th-largest in the world, covering approximately 1.65 million square kilometres (636,000 square miles). Iran shares land borders with seven countries, the longest being Iraq, followed by Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Armenia. Iran covers about one-sixth the equivalent land area of the United States, nearly as large as the state of Alaska. It is about one-sixth the size of Europe, about one-fifth the size of Australia, roughly half the size of India and about 80 times larger than of Iran's 92 million people live in the western half of the country, where the terrain features rugged mountains alongside fertile valleys and river basins that sustain much of the population. With 9.6 million inhabitants, Tehran has been the capital since 1795 and is the country's largest city. Situated beneath the Alborz Mountains, Tehran's history dates back more than 6,000 years. Mashhad, in the northeast, is Iran's second-largest city with 3.4 million people and a history spanning more than 1,200 years. It is a major religious and cultural centre and is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, which brings in millions of pilgrims from around the world. Isfahan, the third-largest city, is home to some 2.3 million people. More than 2,500 years old, the city was once the capital of the Safavid Empire, which lasted from 1501 to 1722. Isfahan hosts major educational institutions and is a centre for textiles, steel and manufacturing, along with nuclear and aerospace industries. Other populous cities across Iran include: Shiraz (1.7 million), Tabriz (1.7 million), Karaj (1.6 million), Qom (1.4 million) and Ahvaz (1.3 million).Nearly 60 percent of Iran's population is below the age of 39, according to figures from the United Nations Statistics Division. The country's median age is 33-34 years, and about 77 percent of Iranians live in urban areas. The largest age groups in Iran are those aged 30-34 and 35-39, meaning most of the population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi Shah regime. However, there has been a significant emigration of Iranian professionals in recent years, largely driven by economic is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. Persians make up approximately 61 percent of the population, while significant minority groups include Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent) and others, such as Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baloch (2 percent) and Turkic groups (2 percent). Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim, making up about 90 percent of the population, while Sunni Muslims and other Muslim sects account for roughly 9 percent. The remaining 1 percent includes roughly 300,000 Baha'i, 300,000 Christians, 35,000 Zoroastrians, 20,000 Jews, and 10,000 Sabean Mandeans according to the Minority Rights Group. In border regions such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, ethnic groups play a key role in shaping the country's ethnic and religious diversity as well as its regional politics. While Persian (Farsi) is the official national language, many regions across the country speak a variety of other languages.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
The Take: MAGA is split over Israel and Iran. Which way will Trump go?
How did MAGA become Trump's biggest opponent of a US strike on Iran? The Republican base is split over Trump's rhetoric about getting involved in another foreign war. Conservative stalwarts like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon are pushing back. Could a US strike on Iran be a blow against Trump at home? In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat and Amy Walters with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Mariana Navarette, Khaled Soltan, Remas AlHawari, Kisaa Zehra, and our host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
Gaza massacres, West Bank raids continue as attention shifts to Iran
On Thursday, Israeli troops killed at least 16 Palestinians trying desperately to get food in Gaza. On Wednesday, it was at least 29 Palestinians. The day before, at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they gathered at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Khan Younis. They were gunned down by drones, machine gun fire and tanks, according to survivors. On Monday, at least 38 were killed in a similar manner while trying to get food, mostly in Rafah. And on Sunday, at least 17 were killed in southern and central Gaza. The GHF is an Israeli and United States-backed body staffed by private security contractors. Israel set it up in May to replace United Nations-led relief operations, yet dozens of Palestinians have been gunned down on at least eight occasions at GHF sites. 'This happens to some extent every day. It's becoming a routine,' said Yasser al-Banna, a journalist in Gaza. 'Now that Israel has started a war with Iran, everyone here in Gaza is scared that the world is going to forget about them,' he told Al Jazeera. Since Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, global attention on the plight of Palestinians in the occupied territory has faded from the headlines. But Israel has continued to attack Palestinians in Gaza, while conducting deadly raids in the West Bank. After the latest attack on Palestinians desperate for food, analysts and human rights monitors told Al Jazeera that they believe Israel is likely to commit more 'massacres', while prioritising the welfare of Israelis as the war with Iran drags on. 'Israel is using the diverted attention away from Gaza to continue to carry out atrocious crimes against starving civilians,' said Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel and Palestine for the Middle East Council on Global Affairs think tank. 'We have also seen a lot of military and settler activity in the West Bank in recent days,' he told Al Jazeera. Israel's violence against helpless Palestinians at the GHF site on Tuesday resulted in the highest single death toll at any GHF site since the controversial organisation began operations last month. It has been lambasted for what opponents have called the militarisation of humanitarian aid relief. Yet Israel's chokehold siege on the enclave has pushed Palestinians to make an impossible choice: Whither away from hunger or risk their lives to obtain a food parcel. 'Israel's whole GHF scheme is just a way to increase the humiliation of Palestinians,' said Ibrahim Nabeel, a Palestinian medic who has treated victims of the GHF attacks. Along with sustaining its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has also tightened its occupation over the West Bank since it began attacking Iran. Several Palestinians told Al Jazeera that it is 'impossible to move' from one village or town to another. The entrances to Palestinian villages and cities have been blocked off by Israeli forces, and the number of military checkpoints has increased. (Agencies)
