ABSTRACT
Tehran's main bazaar consists of a vast underground network of stalls, shops, and stores. Moshtabor told us that compared to the 1980s, cultural restrictions are much more relaxed in Iran. The British had no oil of their own, so they had to control colonies and neocolonies that did. The imperialist powers called this scramble for natural resources the Great Game. The world's oil tankers slip down Iran's coast at the Strait of Hormuz, which narrows to thirty-one miles at one point. The wrestler had secured a table for Hamid-Reza Asefi, then Iran's deputy foreign minister, who had decided to stop by for an unannounced chat with us. The satellite TV revolution hit the Middle East in the 1990s. For the first time, people of the region could see timely news and entertainment shows banned on state-run TV. Sean's trip became headline news every day, and dozens of fans camped out in the hotel lobby, hoping to get an autograph.
