
Oil, revolution and ayatollahs: how Iran went from great power to rogue state
From Iran: The Latest
Published 5/4/2026

From Iran: The Latest
Published 5/4/2026
Within living memory, Tehran ruled an oil-rich great power brimming with intellectuals inspired by British democracy. So how did it become an impoverished rogue state at war with the West?In this special Bank Holiday edition, Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St…