Population
Governmental census is listing a total population of near 69 million, including approximately 2 million refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq. Population grew at rate of 3.6 percent per annum between 1976 and 1986 resulting in a very young population. Government figures shows 70 percent of population being under thirty five years of age and 52% composed of female.
Iran's population doubles each 20 years and it's estimated to reach 90 millions by 2010. Such popular progression and its composition along with the World's fast pace evolution are the main causes of the increasing fragility of the theocratic regime unable to fulfill the Iranians needs of all kind.
A Mosaic of Ethnicity
It's to note that as like as any other or most countries, such as the US, France, Spain, England or Belgium, Iran is multi ethnic and multi religious entity; And a long shared and common past as well as a deep sentiment of National identity is welding in an unprecedented manner. Persians, Azaris, Kurds, Balootchs, Arabs, Turkmens and variances such as Bakhtiari and Ghashgha-i have been co-existing together for thousands of years by sharing common history, tradition and culture.
Some, such as, Ultra Iranian leftist groups and foreign powers have always tried to use Iran's diverse ethnicity in order to create turmoil but such policy has always failed due to the strong cultural attachment of the Iranians to their ancestral legacy. As an example "Now-Rooz" which is the Persian New Year is still getting celebrated in territories which were once a part of Iran, such as, Tajikistan, Western Afghanistan, parts of the Caucasus, parts of India, in Iraqi and Turkish Kurdish regions and in the self called republic of Azarbaidjan. The important point to observe is that while pan-Turkists try to create baseless claims on so-called deep Turkish roots, coming from the Mongols, the country of Turkey is forbidding to its Kurdish to celebrate such tradition.
National Homogenity
Perhaps the sacrifices made by all Iranians of any ethnicity or religion in order to defend the motherland, especially during the Iraqi aggression of the 1980s, is the best example of what Iranians stand for and the consolidation of a National identity rather than ethnic as few nostalgic of Stalin era try to claim. The defense against Iraq took place while many were rejecting, already, the newly formed Islamic republic and some of the pan-Turkist, pan-Kurdish or pan-Arab were claiming that the Iran facing a revolutionary period will split following the attack of an external force. From Iranian Arabs who were the first to stop the Iraqi forces due to the lack of an organized army by passing to the Iranian Azari and Iranian Kurdish legions which went to fight the common and hereditary enemy of Iran the exploits of valiance and patriotism are not rare.
In addition it is important to know that the so-called republic of Azarbaijan was formerly known as Aran and was part of the great Persia till the mid 1800s when it was lost to the Russian empire at the issue of a bloody war.
The name of Azarbaijan, which is the name of an Iranian province located in south of Aras river, forming the today's northern Iranian border, was usurped by Stalin and some pan Turkist groups in an effort to create a ground for the split of Azarbaijan from Iran. Such split was tried at the end of the WWII but failed following the departure of the Soviet troops from Iran which lead to the rebellion of the Iranian Azaris against the pan turkish.
The name Azarbaijan or Azarpadegan means bastion or temple of fire, in reference to the old Persian tradition of creating special places in order to keep on fire (Azar) which is considered as symbol of life and purification. Till our day no temple of fire has been found in the north of Aras river despite all propaganda efforts and falsification methods known to the Soviet Union and pan Turkist groups, contrary to the south (in the Iranian province of Azarbaijan) where ruines of huge temples of fire, such as, Azargoshassb have been found.