If the people who have run Iran for the past 47 years (since the Islamic Revolution) are not “Persian,” then who else would they be? I don’t know what idea you might have here. “Persia” is actually a Greek-origin word, used by the West to refer to the Persian ethnic group, but the Persians themselves, in their own language (Farsi), have always referred to their nation as “Iran.” The modern state of Iran comprises many ethnic groups; somebody here pointed out that Ali Khamenei was part Azeri, and a close friend of mine who’s Iranian is an ethnic Kurd. These various minority ethnic groups mostly assimilate to some degree into the predominant Persian culture. Of course Persians are not Arabs (though there’s a minority Arab population living in Iran), but Persians are very much Muslim, and again I’m not sure what you’re asking -- are you conflating Arabs and Muslims? The answers are all out there, but you have to ask the right questions!
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