Iran Has Mountains? Who knew?

Our good friend and liberal mentor, Mud, is just learning to do research, so we should all applaud his efforts.  However, he is still not very good at it, so I am going to help him make his point.

Recently, Mud left a comment on the Occupy Toledo post that really doesn't fit in, so I will dedicate a new post to address Mud's concerns.

Commander-in-Chief Herman Cain: ""Remember when you talk about attacking Iran it is a very mountainous region."

Now, I admit I have no idea what Mud is attempting to point out, but by using Mud's history of being a liberal jackass, I can assume he means to denigrate Mr. Cain's intelligence in some way.  Not wanting to run off at the mouth, like Mud does, I did a little research on Iran, and surprise, surprise, it is absolutely covered in mountains.  So obviously, Mud isn't trying to say Cain is stupid, so what is he implying?


I googled the quote Mud cited, and found the whole comment.  When viewing the whole statement, it appears that Mr. Cain was making the case that intelligence would be vital in attempting to pre-emptively take out Iran's nuclear weapons program.

"Remember, when you talk about attacking Iran, it is a very mountainous region. The latest reports say that there may be 40 different locations, and I would want to make sure that we had a good idea from intelligence sources where these are located," Cain said during a debate.

After viewing several maps and reading several articles on Iran's topography, I have come to agree with Mr. Cain.  Iran is a very mountainous country.

Iran is located in southwest Asia and borders the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Caspian Sea. Its mountains have helped to shape both the political and the economic history of the country for several centuries. The mountains enclose several broad basins, or plateaus, on which major agricultural and urban settlements are located. Until the 20th century, when major highways and railroads were constructed through the mountains to connect the population centers, these basins tended to be relatively isolated from one another.

Typically, one major town dominated each basin, and there were complex economic relationships between the town and the hundreds of villages that surrounded it. In the higher elevations of the mountains rimming the basins, tribally organized groups practicedtranshumance, moving with their herds of sheep and goats between traditionally established summer and winter pastures. There are no major river systems in the country, and historically transportation was by means of caravans that followed routes traversing gaps and passes in the mountains. The mountains also impeded easy access to the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

The topography of Iran consists of rugged, mountainous rims surrounding high interior basins. The main mountain chain is the Zagros Mountains, a series of parallel ridges interspersed with plains that bisect the country from northwest to southeast. Many peaks in the Zagros exceed 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) above sea level, and in the south-central region of the country there are at least five peaks that are over 4,000 metres (13,123 ft).

In conclusion, I must admit that Mud is just an idiot.