Corruption is a problem in Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to Transparency International, which publishes the annual Corruption Perception Index, in 2009 Iran fell from 141st on the list of 180 countries to eighth from bottom – one of the most marked declines.

President Ahmadinejad has vouched to fight "economic/oil Mafia" at all echelons of government. President Ahmadinejad has also proposed that lawmakers consider a bill, based on which the wealth and property of all officials who have held high governmental posts since 1979 could be investigated. Many Iranians believe the country's economic problems are a byproduct of mismanagement and corruption.

Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53

Iran (ⁱ/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/;Persian: ایران‎ [ʔiˈɾɒn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران‎ Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in use natively since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.

The 18th-largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 79 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran 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. Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves.

Tom Cotton (born May 13, 1977) is from the city of Dardanelle, Arkansas. He spent five years serving in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Cotton is the Republican (GOP) nominee running for the United States Congress in Arkansas's 4th congressional district for the 2012 election cycle.

Cotton grew up outside Dardanelle, Arkansas, on his family's cattle farm. After graduating from Dardanelle High School, he went on to attend Harvard College, where he was as a columnist for the Harvard Crimson, played on the junior-varsity basketball team, and was a member of the Harvard Republican Club. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School.

After completing law school, he served as a federal judicial clerk at the United States Court of Appeal for Judge Jerry Edwin Smith. Moving on to private practice, his work focused on labor, employment, and constitutional law cases at all levels of state and federal court.

In 2004, Cotton enlisted in the U.S. Army as a infantryman. After completing his initial training at Fort Benning, he was deployed in 2006 to Baghdad as a leader of a 41-man air-assault infantry platoon with the 101st Airborne Division. In Iraq, Cotton led daily combat patrols in Al Dora, Abu Dashir, and the surrounding rural sectors outside Baghdad.

Hamid Karzai, GCMG (Pashto: حامد کرزی, Hāmid Karzay; born 24 December 1957) is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001. During the December 2001 International Conference on Afghanistan in Germany, Karzai was selected by prominent Afghan political figures to serve a six month term as Chairman of the Interim Administration.

He was then chosen for a two year term as Interim President during the 2002 loya jirga (grand assembly) that was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. After the 2004 presidential election, Karzai was declared winner and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He won a second five-year-term in the 2009 presidential election.

Karzai was born on 24 December 1957 in the Karz area of Kandahar City in southern Afghanistan. He is an ethnic Pashtun of the Popalzai tribe. His father, Abdul Ahad Karzai, served as the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament during the 1960s. His grandfather, Khair Mohammad Khan, had served in the 1919 Afghanistan's war of independence and as the Deputy Speaker of the Senate. Karzai's family were strong supporters of Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan. His uncle, Habibullah Karzai, served as representative of Afghanistan at the UN and is said to have accompanied King Zahir Shah in the early 1960s to the United States for a special meeting with U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

Karim Bagheri (Persian: کريم باقری ‎, born 20 February 1974 in Tabriz, Iran) is a retired professional Iranian player, most notably playing for Persepolis in the Iran Pro League. He was known as a two-footed midfielder and is famous for his powerful and thundering long range shots and free kicks.

Bagheri was discovered by manager Vasile Godja and began his football playing for his hometown club Tractor Sazi where he impressed enough to land himself a contract with Keshavarz On 1 August 1996 Bagheri was signed on free transfer by the capital's club, Persepolis. Bagheri enjoyed there much success winning numerous titles and becoming a firm fan favorite. Numerous impressive displays ended up in Bagheri attracting attention from many European clubs and on 1 August 1997, a year after he signed a contract with Persepolis, Bagheri signed with German Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld along with his fellow Iranian international Ali Daei.

Bagheri's first season in Germany was not a huge success and the club was relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga. In his second season, he established himself as a starter playing in the libero position, helping the team make it back to the Bundesliga. He remained in Arminia for one more season, but returned to Persepolis again after problems with the coaching staff at Bielefeld, though Persepolis loaned him to Al-Nasr in the UAE. At that time English clubs were interested in Bagheri and Charlton Athletic of the Premiership quickly signed him for an initial fee of £400,000. He had very little success there, only playing 15 minutes during the entire season. Despite the disappointing season he had the honour of being the first Iranian to play in the Premiership. He then moved to Al Sadd in Qatar.