Iran

Dual citizens of Iran and a second country may only enter Iran on their Iranian passport, as the country does not normally recognize dual citizenships. Your bags probably will not be searched for salacious material, but if any is found, it will be confiscated and will complicate your arrival. Don't try to bring in any magazines or books that might offend strict Islamic sensibilities or criticise the government.

The rial, denoted by the symbol "﷼", "IR" or "R" (ISO code: IRR) is the currency of Iran. Wikivoyage articles will use rials to denote the currency. In Iran, prices may be shown in toman (تومان), where 1 toman = 10 rials.

Iranian transport is of high quality, and is very affordable. There are few places the very cheap buses don't travel to, the train network is limited but comfortable and reasonably priced and travel by air is not expensive. The ticket prices are always fixed and you don't have benefits of early bookings.

Persian (called fārsi in Persian, فارسی), an Indo-European language, is Iran's national and official language. Although Persian is written with a modified Arabic alphabet, the two languages are not related; however, Persian does contain a very large number of Arabic loanwords (that may differ in meaning), many of which are part of basic Persian vocabulary (see section on "Iranian nationality" under "Respect" ).

Iran is still a relatively low-crime country, although thefts and muggings occur. Keep your wits about you, and take the usual precautions against pickpockets in crowded bazaars and buses. Although its strict Islamic moral code is well known, Iranian laws are not as strict as those of Saudi Arabia. Respecting the dozens of unspoken rules and regulations of Iranian life can be a daunting prospect for travellers, but don't be intimidated. As a foreigner you will be given leeway and it doesn't take long to acclimatise yourself.

Iran has state-of-the-art medical facilities in all its major cities. However, due to U.S. sanctions, there is a severe shortage of medical supplies, and you may need to be evacuated to another country in order to get satisfactory treatment for more serious cases; ensure that your travel insurance covers this.

=== Landline phone === An Iranian phone number is of the form +98-XXX-XXX-XXXX where "98" is the country code for Iran, the next 3 digits (or 2 in the case of Tehran and some big cities) is the area code and the remaining 7 digits (eight in the case of Tehran and some big cities) are the "local" part of the subscriber number that can be called from within that particular code area using abbreviated dialing. From other areas within Iran You will need to dial "0" in front of the area code.

While you may have heard a lot of negative stories about Iran in the media, Iranians are warm, friendly and generous individuals with a strong interest in foreigners and other cultures. Iranian culture, like most other Islamic cultures, has a strong tradition of hospitality. Guests are often treated extremely well. On the other hand, there is some insularity; any foreigner may be regarded with suspicion.