Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: EXERCISE CAUTIONThe Commonwealth advises travellers to exercise caution in this country. Some areas or circumstances may carry elevated risk. Travellers should monitor local conditions and follow the guidance of local authorities.
| Mehran Free Council Republics | |
|---|---|
| Federal Council Republic | |
 |
|
| Capital | Mehran Federal City |
| Languages | Persian, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Arabic, and many regional languages |
| Population | 52,400,000 |
The Mehran Free Council Republics (M.F.C.R.) is a federal state occupying most of the Iranian plateau, from the Caspian littoral to the Persian Gulf. It emerged from the collapse of Qajar authority following a period of civil conflict in which a coalition of Jangali peasant fighters, urban socialists and Kurdish and Azerbaijani regionalists defeated both the monarchy and British efforts to install a successor regime. The country takes its name from mehr, meaning kindness and love in Persian, with associations to Zoroastrian ethical tradition.
The M.F.C.R. is organised as a federation of council republics with substantial local autonomy. The federal council holds authority over defence, foreign affairs and the judiciary. The constituent republics vary considerably in character: some are secular and socialist in orientation, others retain strong communalist or religious traditions. The federation is officially secular, with separation of mosque and state a founding constitutional principle, though Islam remains central to daily life across most of the country.
The M.F.C.R. trades primarily with the Soviet Union and regional neighbours. It has a sustained history of tension with British commercial and political interests in the Gulf region.