GENOCIDE        WATCH

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian civilians have lived under a strict, repressive regime, and minorities have been targeted with severe human rights abuses. Shia Islam is the dominant religion in Iran, while the Baha'i and Sunni religious minorities face high levels of discrimination, dehumanization, and persecution. Additionally, in a context of hostile regional geopolitics and tensions over Iran's nuclear program, the Iranian leadership has even incited genocide against Israel. The LGBTQIA+ community is also among the Iran's most persecuted minorities, and the Islamic Republic has executed thousands of gay people since 1979. Unlikely its neighbors, Iran permits and subdisizes thousands of gender reassignment surgeries, though this policy does not aim to accept the transgender identity but rather erase homosexuality. The country's 2021 presidential elections were unfree and unfair, and human rights defenders face ongoing persecution. After the US severed diplomatic relations with Iran under President Trump, the future of Iran's approach to human rights, nuclear development, and international relations remains uncertain.