Main Entry: Iran

Pronunciation: \i-ˈrän, -ˈran; ī-ˈran\

Variant(s): or especially formerly by outsiders Per·sia \ˈpər-zhə, especially British -shə\

Function: geographical name

country SW Asia bordering in N on Caspian Sea & in S on Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman; an Islamic republic since 1979, formerly an empire ∗ Tehran area 635,932 square miles (1,647,064 square kilometers), population 60,055,488

— Irani \-ˈrä-nē, -ˈra-\ adjective or noun