Flight & airport info

As in all Middle Eastern countries, respect for and observance of Islam is central. Iran is the only official Shi'ite state and its people are in the majority Persian and not Arab.

Divisions between gender are just as important as elsewhere in the Middle East. Men and women work and socialise separately and introductions are generally made only to those of the same sex. If your female spouse or partner is accompanying you, always check that any invitations include them too. 

The normal greeting is ‘Salam'. Reply with ‘Salam'. Always greet elders first as a mark of respect. Tables will generally be laid with spoon and fork. Remember to eat and pass dishes with the right hand.

The extended family is the cornerstone of life and will be at the centre of an Iranian's social and business network. Working with family members, using them to get special deals or favours or to get round the complexities of bureaucracy is regarded as a good thing.

Appointments should be made well in advance. Confirm a week before and on arrival. When meeting people in a business context it's important to shake hands but only if your counterpart is the same gender. Men should wait to see if a woman extends her hand. If not, it's fine to nod and smile as an introduction. Visiting businesswomen should likewise take their cue from their hosts.

Stick to formal titles until your counterpart starts to call you by your first name. Men are referred to with the prefix Agha, women Khanoom. So Mr John Smith would be Agha-yeh-Smith, while Ms Sally Brown would be Khanoom-eh-Brown.

Conservative dress is recommended, but ties are not necessary. Few Iranians wear them, and they are actually illegal for officials of the Islamic Republic. Women should make sure head, ears and neck are covered with a scarf and the rest of the body with a long-sleeved loose dress.

You should always be punctual, even if your host is not. Be prepared to be kept waiting, especially by Government officials.  Meetings begin with polite enquiries about health, family, and so on. Building a good personal relationship with your counterpart is important. Do not be put out by interruptions, which are normal. Be in no hurry to end the meeting. Try not to schedule back-to-back meetings, so that you have room to be flexible if things are going well.

Taarof is the display of extreme politeness that is routine in everyday dealings with others in Iran. If your counterpart insists that you walk first through a door, he is displaying taarof. Be careful not to take this surface show too literally. If offered more tea, more to eat or perhaps an invitation back to a person's home, always refuse initially. Only when the invitation is repeated at least twice should you take it seriously.

The business week runs Saturday to Wednesday 9am to 5pm and Thursdays half day . Some companies close on Thursday. Friday is a strict religious holiday when no business is done. Prayer breaks, three times daily, are advertised in the newspaper; those that affect the business visitor are the midday Dhuhr, the mid-afternoon Asr, and the early evening Maghrib (just after sunset).

Times to avoid in the year include Nouruz, the Iranian New Year which lasts for two to three weeks from 21 March and Ramadan, the month-long holy fast (dates vary each year), when business hours are short and restaurants close from dawn to dusk. Both Eid festivals also last for about three days.

Owing to the current US trade embargo, credit cards and travellers cheques are not acceptable forms of payment, even in the best hotels. Bring a plentiful supply of US dollars with you.