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 and a long constitutional struggle 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. Its name derives from ‘mehr,’ meaning kindness and love, and linked to Zoroastrian values.
The country is organised as a federation of council republics with meaningful local autonomy, though the federal council holds authority over defence, foreign affairs and the courts. The republics vary considerably in character – some are secular and socialist, others retain strong communalist or religious traditions. Mehran is officially secular and the separation of mosque and state is a founding principle, though Islam remains central to daily life across most of the country.
The M.F.C.R. trades closely with the Soviet Union and regional neighbours, and has a long history of tension with British interests in the Gulf.