answer:The Persian Empire was a long, long time ago. First they were defeated by the Greeks, then the Romans controlled that region, then the Byzantines held influence, the Crusades terrorised the region, and then the Ottoman Empire. After WWI, the Ottomans were effectively destroyed, and most countries in the Middle East were given definitive borders by Western powers, who did not understand the local cultural dynamics, and each country had to build itself from scratch. Iran itself was once great though. It was a flourishing democracy until the United States orchestrated political unrest that toppled the democratically elected government. They reinstated the hated Shah, who was then deposed in the Islamic Revolution that brought in the current religious oligarchy. Iran would have a strong democracy funded by huge oil revenue right not if it wasn’t for the United States’ penchant for deposing foreign regimes. It’s current problems are also a result of international sanctions. Iranian culture is highly educated, sophisticated, and openly political. Despite huge economic isolation, they are still able to develop world class weapons and engage in highly complex cyber warfare. If sanctions were removed and they were allowed to globalise, they would quickly become a major player on the world stage.