Iran is a major middle power and it is a country.
Iran ( ɪ , also ɪ ) , formerly known as Persia , is a sovereign state in Western Asia . Comprising a land area of 1648195 km2 , it is the second-largest country in the Middle East and the 18th-largest in the world . Iran is a major regional and middle power , and its large reserves of fossil fuels -- which include the largest natural gas supply in the world and the fourth-largest proven oil reserves -- exert considerable influence in international energy security and the world economy .