On a personal level, I found many positive things about Iran. I visited Esfahan, one of its stunningly beautiful cities. Shiraz is another. Most of the people I met were kind and hospitable. While the restrictions on women are obvious the moment you set foot in the country, they are clearly not as severe as in some other societies in the region.
Women work outside the home, drive cars and hold office at the highest levels of government.
Several veiled Iranian women were on my flight as I left Tehran. By the time we had reached Dubai, just across the Persian Gulf, they had all thrown off their head scarves and bulky overcoats to reveal bare arms, figure-hugging designer jeans, a certain amount of cleavage and fashionable hairdos. Their dramatic transformation reminded me that just below the surface of a conservative, traditional society, young people especially are eager for change. Sean Boyne, a Dublin-based journalist, is a correspondent for Jane's Intelligence Review.