Communications (Iran)
=====================


     Railroads:
         4,850 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 480 km
         under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas, rail construction from Bafq to
         Sirjan has been completed and is operational
     Highways:
         140,072 km total; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel and crushed
         stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
     Inland waterways:
         904 km; the Shatt-al-Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about
         130 km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war
     Pipelines:
         crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
     Ports:
         Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti,
         Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Raja,
         Khorramshahr (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)
     Merchant marine:
         134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,466,395 GRT/8,329,760 DWT; includes
         38 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3
         refrigerated cargo, 47 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
     Civil air:
         48 major transport aircraft
     Airports:
         214 total, 188 usable; 81 with permanent-surface runways; 16 with runways
         over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 71 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
     Telecommunications:
         radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000
         telephones; broadcast stations - 77 AM, 3 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth
         stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio
         and radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and
         Uzbekistan