Although Middle Eastern regions have a large number of English speakers, it is not spoken so widely in Iran. English is spoken among the masses in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE, and other countries. This proves to be a major disadvantage for Iranian citizens as they fail to interact and communicate effectively with international communities.
It is only recently that Iranians have started to realize how important the English language is. The previous Minister of Science & Technology in Iran, Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi who served term from 2005-2009, emphasized how important the English language is and the significance it has for the development of Iran.
Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi served as a minister in the cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He stated that importance has to be given to the English language, mainly because all the scientific and technical publications exist in English and students will be able to learn the contents of these publications only if they are able to understand English properly, so that they would be able to grasp knowledge from various different sources.
Also, officials and other workers would benefit by learning English. This is mainly because they can easily interact with international communities and other multi-national corporations effectively. Zahedi urged everyone to learn English when he spoke at a seminar held in Vahdat Hall.
Simultaneously, the Iranian Government is also promoting the usage and learning of Persian language as they want Iran and the Persian language to leave a strong footprint in the international community. To promote the Persian language, they are conducting Persian classes worldwide. The courses in Persian are being conducted by embassies and consulates across several European and Asian countries. The fees charged for the same are nominal.
To further promote the usage and learning of English, the Government of Iran has launched various channels in English and Spanish,on television and radio. Due to this, the Iranian Government is encouraging its citizens to learn English. Iran is also hoping to gain attention from foreigners, because of which they are able to gain defense and support for their otherwise controversial nuclear program.