Iranian Americans

Iranian Americans, also known asPersian Americans, areUnited Statescitizens or nationals who are ofIranian ancestry, or who holdIraniancitizenship.
Most Iranian Americans arrived in the United States after 1979, as a result of theIranian Revolutionand the fall of theIranian monarchy, with over 40% settling in California, specifically Los Angeles. They have created many distinct ethnic enclaves, such as the Los AngelesTehrangelescommunity inWestwood, Los Angeles. Based on a 2012 announcement by the National Organization for Civil Registration, an organization of theMinistry of Interior of Iran, the United States has the greatest number ofIranians outside the country.
Research by the Iranian Studies Group at theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyin 2004 estimated the number of Iranian Americans at 691,000, about half of which live in the US state of California.
"Iranian-American" is sometimes used interchangeably with "Persian-American",partly due to the fact that, in theWestern world,Iranwas known as "Persia".On theNowruzof 1935,Reza Shah Pahlaviasked foreign delegates to use the termIran, theendonymof the country used since theSasanian Empire, in formal correspondence. Since then the use of the word "Iran" has become more common in Western countries. This also changed the usage of the terms for Iranian nationality, and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from "Persian" to "Iranian." In 1959, the government ofMohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Shah Pahlavi's son, announced that both "Persia" and "Iran" could officially be used interchangeably.The issue is still debated today.
There is a tendency among Iranian-Americans to categorize themselves as "Persian" rather than "Iranian", mainly to dissociate themselves from thenegative stereotypes of Iraniansin media.Some Iranian-Americans also don't prefer "Iranian" to disassociate themselves with theIslamic Republic of Iran,yet this rationale has been criticized as the term "Iran" was widely used before 1979 as well.The term "Iranian" is regarded as more inclusive than "Persian", as the term "Persian" excludes non-Persian ethnic minorities of Iran.While the majority of Iranian-Americans come from Persian backgrounds, there is a significant number ofnon-Persian Iranianssuch asAzerisandKurdswithin the Iranian-American community,leading some scholars to believe that the label "Iranian" is more inclusive, since the label "Persian" excludes non-Persian minorities.
One of the first recorded Iranians to visitNorth Americawas Martin the Armenian, anIranian-Armeniantobacco grower who settled inJamestown, Virginiain 1618.Mirza Mohammad Ali, also known as Hajj Sayyah, was an Iranian who came to North America in the 1800s. He was inspired to travel around the world due to the contradiction between the democratic ideals he read about and how his fellow Iranians were treated by their leaders. He began his travels as a 23-year-old looking for knowledge, to experience the lives of others, and to use that knowledge to help with Iran's progress. His stay in the United States lasted 10 years, and he traveled across the country from New York to San Francisco. He met a variety of influential American figures including PresidentUlysses S. Grant, who met with him on several occasions.On 26 May 1875, Hajj Sayyah became the first Iranian to become an American citizen. He was imprisoned upon his return to Iran for taking a stand against living conditions there. He looked to the United States to protect him but to no avail.During the peak period of worldwide emigration to the United States (1842–1903), only 130 Iranian nationals were known to have immigrated.
The first wave of Iranian migration to the United States occurred from the late 1940s to 1977,or 1979.The United States was an attractive destination for students, as American universities offered some of the best programs in engineering and other fields, and were eager to attract students from foreign countries.Iranian students, most of whom had learned English as a second language in Iran, were highly desirable as new students at colleges and universities in the United States.By the mid-1970s, nearly half of all Iranian students who studied abroad did so in the United States.By 1975, the Institute of International Education's annual foreign student census figures listed Iranian students as the largest group of foreign students in the United States, amounting to a total of 9% of all foreign students in the country.As the Iranian economy continued to rise steadily in the 70s, it enabled many more Iranians to travel abroad freely.Consequently, the number of Iranian visitors to the United States also increased considerably, from 35,088, in 1975, to 98,018, in 1977.During the 1977–78 academic year, of about 100,000 Iranian students abroad, 36,220 were enrolled in American institutions of higher learning. During the 1978–79 academic year, on the eve of the revolution, the number of Iranian students enrolled in American institutions rose to 45,340, and in 1979–80, that number reached a peak of 51,310. At that time, according to theInstitute of International Education, more students from Iran were enrolled in American universities than from any other foreign country.The pattern of Iranian migration during this phase usually only involved individuals, not whole families.Due to Iran's increasing demand for educated workers in the years before the revolution, the majority of the Iranian students in America intended to return home after graduation to work, especially those who had received financial aid from the Iranian government or from industry on condition of returning to take jobs upon graduation. Due to the drastic events of the1979 Revolution, the students ended up staying in the United States as refugees.These several thousand visitors and students unintentionally became the basis of the cultural, economic, and social networks that would enable large-scale immigration in the years that followed.
The second phase of Iranian migration began immediately before and after theIranian Revolutionof 1979 and the overthrow of the ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi,and became significant in the early 1980s.As Ronald H. Bayor writes, "The 1979 Revolution and the1980–88war with Iraq transformed Iran's class structure, politically, socially, and economically."The revolution drastically changed the pattern and nature of Iranian emigration to the United States, while the Iran-Iraq War that ensued afterwards was also another factor that forced many of the best-educated and most wealthy families into exile in the United States and other countries. Once basically an issue ofbrain drainduring the Pahlavi period, it was now predominantly an involuntary emigration of a relatively large number of middle- and upper-class families, including the movement of a considerable amount of wealth.During and after the revolution, most students did not return to Iran, and those who did were gradually purged from the newly establishedIslamic Republic. Many students who graduated abroad after the revolution also did not return, due to the ruling clergy's repression. As a result, the educated elite who left Iran after the revolution, and the new graduates in the United States who chose not to return home, created a large pool of highly educated and skilled Iranian professionals in the United States. By 2002, an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million Iranians lived abroad, mainly in North America and Europe, due to the Islamic government's authoritarian practices.
A further notable aspect of the migration in this phase is that members of religious and ethnic minorities were starting to become disproportionally represented among the Iranian American community, most notably Baháʼís, Jews, Armenians, and Assyrians.According to the1980 US Census, there were 123,000 Americans of Iranian ancestry at that time.Between 1980 and 1990, the number of foreign-born people from Iran in the United States increased by 74 percent.
The revolution caused a drastic change in the Iranian culture. Iran was no longer a thriving country. This is part of the reason so many Iranians began to flee to America.
The third phase of Iranian immigration started in 1995 and continues to the present.According to the2000 US Census, there were 283,225 Iranian-born people in the US.According to the same 2000 US Census, there were 385,488 Americans of Iranian ancestry at that time.The 2011American Community Survey(ACS) estimate found 470,341 Americans with full or partial Iranian ancestry.However, most experts believe that this is a problem of underrepresenting due to the fact that "many community members have been reluctant in identifying themselves as such because of the problems between Iran and the United States in the past two decades." and also because many were ethnic minorities (Jewish, Armenian, and Assyrian Iranians) who instead identify as the ethnic group they are part of rather than as Iranians.Estimates of 1,000,000 and above are given by many Iranian and non-Iranian organizations, media, and scholars. Kenneth Katzman, specialist in Middle Eastern affairs and part of theCongressional Research Service, in December 2015 estimated the number at over 1,000,000.Paul Harvey and Edward Blum of theUniversity of Coloradoand theUniversity of San Diegoin 2012 estimated their number at 1,000,000,as well asAl-Jazeera.According to thePAAIA(Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans), estimates range from 500,000 to 1,000,000,numbers backed up by Ronald H. Bayor of theGeorgia Institute of Technologyas well.The Atlanticstated that there were an estimated 1,500,000 Iranians in the United States in 2012.The Iranian interest section in Washington, D.C., in 2003 claimed to hold passport information for approximately 900,000 Iranians in the US.
Today, the United States contains the highest number ofIraniansoutside of Iran. The Iranian-American community has producedindividuals notable in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and business.
Although Iranians have lived in the United States in relatively small numbers since the 1930s, a large number of Iranian-Americans immigrated to the United States after theIranian Revolutionof 1979. Data on this group is well documented by theUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS). According to the2000 US Census, there were 385,488 Americans of Iranian ancestry at that time.In the 2011ACS, the number of Americans of full or partial Iranian ancestry amounted c. 470,341.
Federal data on Iranian Americans in the2010 United States Censuswas not according to race, but rather ancestry, which is collected by the annualAmerican Community Survey(ACS). Data on Iranian ancestry from the annual ACS is available on the Census Bureau'sAmerican Factfinderwebsite.Racially, on the Census, Iranian Americans have been classified as awhite Americangroup.
Most experts believe that the underrepresented number of Iranian Americans in the ACS is a problem due to the fact that "many community members have been reluctant in identifying themselves as such because of the problems between Iran and the United States in the past two decades."Estimations of 1,000,000 and above are given by many Iranian and non-Iranian organizations, media, and scholars. Kenneth Katzman, specialist in Middle Eastern affairs and part of theCongressional Research Service, estimated their number at over 1,000,000 in published December 2015.Historians Paul Harvey and Edward Blum estimate their number at 1,000,000 in 2012,as well asAl-Jazeera.According to thePAAIA(Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans), estimates range from 500,000 to 1,000,000,numbers backed by Ronald H. Bayor of theGeorgia Institute of Technology.The Atlantic, in 2012, stated that there are an estimated 1,500,000 Iranians in the United States.The Iranian interest section in Washington D.C., in 2003, claimed to hold passport information for approximately 900,000 Iranians in the US.
According to research done by the Iranian Studies Group, an independent academic organization at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT),Iranian Americans are most likely far more numerous in the United States than census data indicate. The group estimates that the number of Iranian Americans may have topped 691,000 in 2004—more than twice the figure of 338,000 cited in the 2000U.S. census.
Sources from theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Iranhave stated the United States has the highest number ofIranians outside the country, stating 1,500,000Iranianswho were born in Iran are living in the U.S. However this number only represents Iranian born population who moved to the U.S. at some point and does not include the number of U.S.-born Iranian-Americans and other groups with Iranian ancestors.
Roughly half of the nation's Iranians reside in the state ofCaliforniaalone.Other large communities includeNew York/New Jersey, which have 9.1% of the U.S.'s Iranian population, followed byWashington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia(8.3%) andTexas(6.7%).
Approximately 6,000–10,000 Iranian Americans reside in the city ofChicago, while up to 30,000 reside in theChicago metropolitan area. Some of this population is Iranian Assyrian.
Kings Point, New York, a village inGreat Neck, New York, is said to have the largest concentration of Iranians in the United States (nearly 30%).However, unlike the population in Los Angeles, the Great Neck population is almost exclusivelyJewish.
Nashville, Tennesseehas the largest Kurdish population in the United States, with many of them coming from Iran.
It is widely believed that most Iranian-Americans in the United States are clustered in the large cities of California, namelyGreater Los Angeles, theSan Francisco Bay Area,San Diego,Sacramento, andFresno. According to extrapolated U.S. Census data and other independent surveys done by Iranian-Americans themselves in 2009, there were an estimated one million Iranian-Americans living in the U.S.,with the largest concentration—about 300,000 people—living in the greater Los Angeles area.For this reason, the Westwood, L.A. area, with its Iranian American residents, is sometimes colloquially referred to as "Tehrangeles", "Irangeles", or "Little Persia" among Iranian-Americans.
In 1985, theLos Angeles Timesestimated 200,000 Iranian Americans were living in California; and by 1991 the estimate jumped to 800,000, however the accuracy of these numbers could be debated due to a lack of data.In 1990, Los Angeles had a larger population of religious minorities than Muslims, who were the religious majority in Iran.
Regarding Iranian-Americans ofArmenianorigin, the1980 US Censusput the number of Armenians living in Los Angeles at 52,400, of whom 71.9% were foreign born: 14.7% in Iran, 14.3% in theUSSR, 11.5% inLebanon, 9.7% inTurkey, 11.7% in otherMiddle Easterncountries (Egypt,Iraq,Israel, etc.), and the rest in other parts of the world.Beverly Hills,Irvine, andGlendaleall have large communities of Iranian Americans (much of the Iranian population in Glendale being of Armenian descent); 26% of the total population of Beverly Hills isIranian Jewish, making it the city's largest religious community.
Iranian Americans have formedethnic enclavesin many affluent neighborhoods mostly in theLos Angelesmetropolitan area. InLos Angeles, Iranians were concentrated inTarzana,West Hills,Hidden Hills,Woodland Hills,Beverly Hills,Calabasas,Brentwood, andRancho Palos Verdes.Tarzanahas the highest concentration of Iranians in Los Angeles County, according to the U.S. Census in 2000.
Second generation Iranians located outside these concentrated cities showed high rates of marrying a non-Iranian and low literacy rates inPersian.
In San Diego County, the communities ofLa Jollaand Westlake village also held a large Iranian population. La Jolla was the first American city to have an Iranian American mayor Iraj Broomand.
Texas also has a large population of Iranian descent.And like California, Iranians in Texas are concentrated in the larger major cities of the state.Houstonhas the largest population of Iranians and Iranian expats, with an estimated 70,000 residents (50,000 in 1994),mainly due to theTexas Medical Centerand the presence of large energy companies. Houston contains an Iranian business district including shops and restaurants that has been dubbed "Little Persia" by theHouston Press.There are many Iranian ZoroastriansandBaháʼísliving there.
Some of the more well known residents of the Houston area in the past or present areJasmin Moghbeli,Susan Roshan,Shawn Daivari,Farinaz Koushanfar, and Kavon Hakimzadeh (captain of theUSS Harry TrumanNaval aircraft carrier).Ibrahim Yazdiwas a graduate ofBaylor College of MedicineandKamal Kharazialso is an alumnus ofUniversity of Houston.Hushang Ansary, an active philanthropist, has been a "founding benefactor" of theHouston Museum of Fine Arts.The George Bush Presidential Library has a gallery named after him.Iranians in Houston particularly came under the spotlight when Iranian student and activist Gelareh Bagherzadeh was murdered in Houston in 2012.The perpetrator,Ali Irsan, was later convicted and sentenced to death for the crime,anhonor killingin retaliation against Bagherzadeh's encouragement of Irsan's daughter to leave Islam and marry a Christian man.The other notable Iranian in Texas that gained national attention in recent years wasUT Austin'sOmid Kokabeewho was imprisoned in Iran for political reasons.
TheDallas-Fort Worthmetropolitan area is estimated to have over 30,000 Iranian-Americans. Iran's first astronautAnousheh Ansarifor many years was a resident ofPlano, Texas, a suburb ofDallas-Fort Worth.Dallas' Iranian community was large and influential enough to host US Secretary of StateMike Pompeofor a private visit in April 2019.And San Antonio and Austin each are said to have 3000-5000 Iranian American residents each, who are mostly attracted to large academic centers of excellence such asSouth Texas Medical CenterandUT Austinor the climate of theTexas Hill Countryarea that is not un-similar to the southern IranZagros Mountainsregion. The largest concentration ofMandaeansfromKhuzestanoutside the middle east are settled in the San Antonio area.The Shah of Iran was also last hospitalized at San Antonio'sWilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical CenterinLackland Air Force Baseduring his last days.This is the same base that trained many pilots of Iran's Royal Air Force before the 1979 revolution.
Many Iranian Americans are non-Muslim due to the religious composition of those fleeing theIranian Revolution, which included a disproportionate share of Iran's religious minorities, as well as subsequent ex-Muslim asylum seekers and other conversions away from Islam. Many Iranian Americans identify asirreligiousorShiite, but a full one-fifth areChristians,Jews,Baháʼís, orZoroastrians.Additionally, there are also some IranianMandaeans, but they are very small in number. According to Pew Research, about 22% of those who left Islam in the United States are Iranian Americans.
A 2012 national telephone survey of a sample of 400 Iranian-Americans, commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans and conducted by Zogby Research Services, asked the respondents what their religions were.  The responses broke down as follows:Muslim31%,atheist/realist/humanist11%,agnostic8%, Baháʼí 7%,Jewish5%,Protestant5%,Roman Catholic2%,Zoroastrian2%, "Other" 15%, and "No response" 15%.The survey had a cooperation rate of 31.2%.Themargin of errorfor the results was +/- 5 percentage points, with higher margins of error for sub-groups.Notably, the number of Muslims decreased from 42% in 2008 to 31% in 2012.
According toHarvard University'sRobert D. Putnam, the average Iranian is slightly less religious than the average American.In the bookSocial Movements in 20th Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks, author Stephen C. Poulson adds thatWestern ideasare making Iraniansirreligious.
There are religious andethnolinguisticdifferences among the Muslim, Jewish, Baháʼí, Zoroastrian, Christian,Armenian,Azerbaijani,Kurdish, andAssyriangroups.Calculating the percentage ofChristianIranian-Americans is difficult because most Iranian Christians (especially those raised in the faith) are ofArmenianorAssyrianorigin; and, apart from identifying as Iranian, a number amongst them also strongly self-identifies as Armenian or Assyrian, rather than as (or apart from) Iranian.
The majority of Iranian-Americans are ethnicPersians, with sizeable ethnic minorities beingIranian Azerbaijanis,Armenians,Iranian Jews,Kurds,Assyrians,Mandaeans,Turkmen,Baloch,Arabs, among others.
According to Hakimzadeh and Dixon in 2006, members of religious and ethnic minorities such as Baháʼís, Jews, Armenians, and Assyrians were disproportionately represented amongst the early exiles of the 1978–1979 revolution.
According toDHS, in 2015, 13,114 people born in Iran were issuedgreen cards, while 13,298 were issued one in 2016. In 2015, 10,344 Iranians became naturalized, with a further 9,507 in 2016.Nearly all Iranians who reside in the United States are eithercitizens(81%) orpermanent residents(15%) of the United States (2008 survey).Iranian-Americans regard theircultureand heritage as an important component of their day-to-day life and their overall identity within the United States.
Four benchmarks are traditionally used to measure assimilation: language proficiency, intermarriage, spatial concentration, and socio-economic status.Per these criteria, one can determine with a significant degree of confidence that the Iranian-American community has made significant strides in successfully assimilating to a new culture and way of living.According to a survey commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) in 2008, only 21 percent of Iranian-Americans reported interacting mostly with other Iranian Americans outside of their workplace, demonstrating that most of them have successfully integrated into United States society.
The intermarriage rate is very high among Iranian Americans.It has been estimated that nearly 50 percent of Iranian-Americans who married between 1995 and 2007 married non-Iranian Americans.Research has furthermore indicated that Iranian-Americans who are Muslim are more open to intermarry than those who are members of religious or ethnic minorities, such as Jews and Armenians.Compared to men, Iranian women are less likely to mix or intermarry outside their group, which, according to the PAAIA, is likely because, as a group, they are more likely to adhere to traditional Iranian values, including making marriages that are approved by their families and are within Iranian cultural norms.Regarding language proficiency in the United States among its immigrant groups, the first generation principally speaks their native language, the second generation speaks both English and their parents' language, and the third generation typically speaks only English, while maintaining a knowledge of some isolated words and phrases from their ancestral tongue.The Iranian American community follows this pattern.
Camp Ayandeh, sponsored annually by the Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB), has attracted children of theIranian diasporafrom multiple nations with the intention of uniting Iranian youth following the mass migration after thefall of the Shah.
According to Bayor, from the very beginning, Iranian immigrants differed from other arrivals in their high educational and professional achievements.According toCensus 2000, 50.9 percent of Iranian immigrants have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to a 28.0 percent national average.According to the latest census data available, more than one in four Iranian-Americans holds a master's or doctoral degree, the highest rate among 67 ethnic groups studied.
A 1990University of California, Los Angelesstudy showed that by virtue of education and occupation, native-born and Armenian-Americans ofIranianorigin "tend to have the highest socioeconomic status... while those from Turkey have the lowest", although Turkish Armenians boast the highest rate of self-employment.In 1988, aNew York Timesarticle claimed that Middle Eastern Armenians, which includes Armenians from Iran, preferred to settle inGlendale, California, while Armenian immigrants from the Soviet Union were attracted to Hollywood, Los Angeles.
A study regardingAmericans of Armenian descentshowed that Armenians from Iran (Iranian-Armenians) are known for quick integration into American society:for example, only 31% of Armenian Americans born in Iran claim not to speak English well,while those Armenians from other nations were shown to have less success at integrating.
TheSmall Business Administration(SBA) conducted a study that found Iranian immigrants among the top 20 immigrant groups with the highest rate of business ownership, contributing substantially to the U.S. economy. According to the report, there were 33,570 active and contributing Iranian American business owners in the U.S., with a 21.5% business ownership rate. The study also found that the total net business income generated by Iranian Americans was $2.56 billion.Almost one in three Iranian-American households have annual incomes of more than $100,000 (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population).Ali Mostasahri, a founding member of the Iranian Studies Group, offers a reason for the relative success of Iranian-Americans compared to other immigrants. He believes that, unlike many other immigrants who left their home countries because of economic hardships, Iranians left due to social or religious reasons like the 1979 revolution.About 50 percent of all working Iranian Americans are in professional and managerial occupations, a percentage greater than any other group in the United States (Bayor, 2011).
The earliest Iranian people in the U.S. were mostly young trainees who worked as medical interns or residents. Some established themselves to continue practice beyond the residency stage. Their motives to extend their stay in the United States were more for professional than economic reasons. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in 1974 reported, in theJournal of the American Medical Association, that, in 1971, the number of Iranian physicians in the U.S. was 1,625. The authors further studied the causes for immigration by sending questionnaire to all Iranian MDs in the United States. According to the 660 respondents, the main reasons for migration were mandatory two-years' military service, low salaries as compared to the United States, expensive housing, and socio-political reasons.
In 2013, another report was published, in theArchive of Iranian Medicine(AIM), saying that, post-revolution, the number of Iranian medical school graduates in the United States had grown to 5,045. Those who migrated to the U.S. after the 1979 revolution were mostly experienced physicians who came with their families and an intent to stay permanently. As of 2013, there are 5,050 Iranian medical school graduates in the United States.
Prior to the revolution, the 1,626 physicians migrated to the United States were 15% of all Iranian medical school graduates, while the 5,045 medical graduates who migrated post-Islamic Revolution represent only 5% of total Iranian medical graduates. This is not indicative of the entire United States, merely of the areas in which most of the Iranian-American population is concentrated.
Though Iranian-Americans have historically excelled in business, academia, and the sciences, they have traditionally shied away from participating in American politics or other civic activities.Iranian-Americans do not appear to engage in American politics, as demonstrated by survey results from large cities showing only 10 percent of them voted in the 2004 election.
In Los Angeles, Iranian Americans paid for a billboard to inform thousands of travelers on the 405 freeway of how the Iranian regime had murdered ten thousand political prisoners.
An August 2008 Zogby International poll, commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, found that approximately one-half of Iranian Americans identified themselves as registeredDemocrats, in contrast to one in eight asRepublicansand one in four as independents (2008).A 2019 Zogby International survey, commissioned by PAAIA, found that in the2016 presidential election, 56% of Iranian Americans respondents voted forHillary Clinton, the democratic candidate. The survey also states that 69% of Iranian American respondents planned to vote for the democratic candidate in the2020 election.
The same 2008 PAAIA poll indicates that more than half of Iranian Americans cite domestic U.S. issues, including issues that are not unique to Iranian Americans, as the most important to them. In contrast, one quarter of Iranian Americans cite foreign policy issues involvingIran–U.S. relationsand less than one-in-ten cite the internal affairs of Iran as being of greatest importance to them.
More recently, the 2019 Zogby International survey, commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, found that one-half of Iranian American respondents consider foreign policy most important when voting.This is a significant increase from the one quarter of Iranian Americans that reported foreign policy issues, such as the Iran-U.S. relationship, as important in 2008.
Similarly, the 2019 survey also suggested that 75% of Iranian American respondents perceived theTrump Administration's Iranian foreign policy negatively.In 2017, the Trump administration put strict travel restrictions on travel to the United States from several countries, including Iran.The survey indicates that thistravel baninstituted by the Trump administration in 2017, received opposition from 76% of respondents. In contrast, only 16% of respondents supported the ban. The survey states that 70% of respondents have been personally affected by the travel ban, or had family and friends affected by the ban.
From 1980 to 2004, more than one out of every four Iranian immigrants was a refugee or asylee.ThePAAIA/Zogby poll cites that almost three-quarters of Iranian-Americans believe the promotion ofhuman rightsand democracy in Iran is the most important issue relating to Iran–U.S. relations. About the same percentage believe diplomacy is the foreign policy approach towards Iran that would be in the best interest of the United States. 84% support establishing a U.S. Interest Section in Iran.Nearly all Iranian Americans surveyedoppose any U.S. military attack against Iran.
According to a survey conducted in 2009, more than six in ten Iranian Americans have immediate family members inIran, and almost three in ten communicate with their families or friends in Iran at least several times a week. An additional four in ten communicate with their families or friends in Iran at least several times a month. This study indicates an unusually close relationship between Iranian-Americans andIranians.
In the updated 2019 PAAIA survey, 15% of Iranian American respondents reported contacting with friends and family in Iran daily, while 26% of respondents communicated with relatives in Iran several times a week. Additionally, 26% of Iranian American respondents contacted with family and friends in Iran several times a month, and 14% communicated with relatives in Iran several times a year. The survey also indicated that 74% of Iranian American respondents preferred contacting their relatives in Iran via phone calls, but communication over mobile communications apps and internet services had increased to 69% and 66% respectively.
As of 2013, U.S. laws requireU.S. personsto obtain a license from the U.S.Office of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC) to engage in transactions related to the sale of theirpersonal property in Iran.Similarly, US persons will need a license from OFAC to open a bank account or transfer money to Iran.
The U.S. government does not have diplomatic or consular relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and therefore cannot provide protection or routine consular services to U.S. citizens in Iran. TheSwiss government,actingthrough itsembassy in Tehran, serves asprotecting powerfor U.S. interests in Iran.The Iranian governmentdoes not recognize dual citizenshipand will not allow the Swiss to provide protective services for U.S. citizens who are also Iranian nationals. The Iranian authorities make the determination of a dual national's Iranian citizenship without regard to personal wishes.In 2016, the U.S.Department of Statewarned U.S. citizens of the risks oftravel to Iran. In some instances, foreigners, in particular dual nationals of Iran and Western countries including the United States, have been detained or prevented from leaving Iran.
In Los Angeles, Iranians have become the largest ethnic group in many Los Angeles' wealthiest enclaves including Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Tarzana, Encino, and Woodland Hills.
The Iranian Revolution resulted in many Iranians fleeing to America in the late 1970s, where, forty years later, Iranian immigrants have become a major force in Silicon Valley as investors, executives, and creators. Iranians have been founders or senior executives ateBay,Oracle,Google,Dropbox,YouTube,Uber,Expedia,Twitter, and other major corporations.
Iranians have the highest percentage of master's degrees than any other ethnic group in the United States.Iranians have also played a large role in the American education system with over 500 Iranian-American professors teaching at top-ranked U.S. universities which include Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Harvard University; Yale University; Princeton University;University of California, Berkeley;University of California, Los Angeles; andStanford University.
Iranian philanthropists constructed theFreedom Sculpturein theCentury Cityneighborhood, in honor of the Persian artifactCyrus Cylinder.
Early Iranian diaspora television has been credited with helping form the local community in the United States.As a result of the Iranian Revolution, the first Iranian American television was formed, and with its formation there were existing political factions that were carried over.The dominant voice in television during this time was from theroyalist-support.It was argued by scholarHamid Naficy, this was not due to political sponsorship, but rather due to market support.Up until 1992, most all Iranian American television programming was in the Farsi language with exceptions to Assyrian and Armenian languages (this included forIranian-KurdishandAzeri-specific shows in Farsi).Most all programming was non religious, and this was reflecting the population of more minority religions of Los Angeles.There are no reliable statistics on viewership because "Middle Eastern" and Iranian wasn't defined by rating services (such asNielsen Holdings), however the Los Angeles Times estimated by 1991 the Iranian American population was roughly 800,000 which would indicate the opening of a new share of the television viewing market.
TheLong Beach-based independent television station,KSCI-TVdubbed themselves the "international station" and claimed to offer the most diverse ethnic television programming in the early 1980s, including the majority of Iranian American television during this time.Starting on March 15, 1981, the first Iranian diaspora television broadcast show IRTV (acronym for "Iranian television") was created byAli Limonadiin Los Angeles.Other early Iranian American television programs included Nadar Rafii's Midnight Show;Parviz Sayyad's Parsian TV (on KSCI-TV);Hamid Shabkhiz's Iran;and Manuchehr Bibian's (also known as Manouchehr Bibiyan)Jaam-e-Jam TVchannel.Other notables in Iranian American television programs in the 1980s includedShohreh Aqdashlu'sSima va Nava-ye Iran TV;Parviz Kardan'sShahr-e Farang TV; andHushang Towzi's multiple television series.
In 2013,BravoTVlaunchedShahs of Sunsetwhich followed a group of six Iranian American friends in Los Angeles who try to juggle their active social lives and careers while also balancing the demands of their families and traditions; the show was accused of racism and relaying on stereotypes.
In 2020, the television seriesTaste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi(season 1, episode 6, "Where The Kabob is Hot") focused on Iranian food in Los Angeles; where Lakshmi interviewedBottom of the Potcookbook author,Naz Deravian; Shamshiri Grill owner, Hamid Mosavi; and comedian,Maz Jobrani.
Iranian Americans have been the focus offilm documentaries, includingThe Iranian Americans(2012; directed byAndrew Goldberg); andImmigration Stories: Iranian Americans of Silicon Valley(2021; directed by Nima Naimi, Alireza Sanayei, Julian Gigola).Critical response in theHuffPostofThe Iranian Americans(2012) PBS documentary included a lack of representation for "interracial marriage".The film documentary,The Dawn Is Too Far(2024; directed by Soumyaa Behrens, Persis Karim) follows eight Iranian Americans from theSan Francisco Bay Areaand their shared experience.
Fictional films with Iranian American themes include the satireJimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero(2014; directed byJonathan Kesselman),andShirin in Love(2014; directed byRamin Niami).The fictional dramaSurviving Paradise(2001), is the first English-language Iranian film with theatrical release in the United States; the storyline is about two Iranian refugees in Los Angeles.
The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies atSan Francisco State University, directed and chaired byPersis Karim, was founded in 2017 and was the first program specifically focused on Iranian diaspora (which includes Iranian Americans).The center offers grants, fellowships, and scholarships, as well as scholarly lecture series, research, and creative performances.
According to the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, nearly half of Iranian-Americans surveyed in 2008 byZogby Internationalhave experienced or personally know Iranian Americans who have experienced discrimination due to their ethnicity, religion, or country of origin. The most common types of discrimination reported areairport securitycheck,social discrimination,racial profiling,employment or business discriminationand discrimination at the hands of immigration officials.
In 2009,Martin Kramer, aHarvardprofessor, warned about the dangers of allowing Iranian Americans to get too close to power during the 2009American Israel Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC) conference:
In 2009,Merrill Lynch& Co. agreed to pay $1.55 million to resolve aU.S. governmentlawsuit accusing the bank of discriminating against an Iranian American employee. The government accused the firm of refusing to promote and later firing this employee on the basis of his national origin and religion.
On 8 September 2015, 22-year-old Iranian American Shayan Mazroei was stabbed to death bywhite supremacistCraig Tanber. Mazroei, who resided inLaguna Niguel, was a successful businessman operating his own car dealership in Santa Ana. On the night of 8 September 2015, Mazroei began discussing his mother visiting Iran to his girlfriend in a restaurant until Elizabeth Anne Thornburg spat on Mazroei shouting racial slurs. Tanber, who would later be sentenced to life in prison,then proceeded to stab Mazroei resulting in his death.
In 2017 in theKansas Citysuburb ofOlathe, Adam Purintonshot and killed two Indiansat a bar, mistaking them for Iranian. While murdering them Puriton yelled "Get out of my country."
In 2018, while on national television, having a discussion about taking a DNA test, SenatorLindsey Grahamremarked that it would be "terrible" if he discovered he had Iranian heritage.Graham's statement outraged many high-profileIranian-Americans, includingOmid Kordestani(chairman ofTwitter),Ali PartoviandHadi Partovi(CEOs ofCode.org), Pejman Nozad,andBritish IranianChristiane Amanpour.
In 2020, the United States Border Patrol instituted a large scale detention of Iranian Americans at the Canadian border without probable cause. While returning to the U.S. from Canada, Americans of Iranian heritage were detained by border officers. Over 60 Americans of Iranian descent were detained and interrogated at the Canadian border. The incident took place during a time of escalated tensions between Iran and the U.S.
Iranian-Americans are among the most educated and successful communities in the U.S., according to a report by the Iranian Studies group atMIT. Iranian-Americans have founded, or hold senior leadership positions at, many major US companies, including Fortune 500 companies such asGE,Intel,Citigroup,Verizon,Motorola,Google, andAT&T.Pierre Omidyar, founder/CEO ofeBayis of Iranian origin, as is the founder ofBratz,Isaac Larian. Hamid Biglari is vice-chairman ofCiticorp.Bob Minerwas the co-founder ofOracle Corporationand the producer of Oracle'srelational database management system.Brandon Truaxewas the Founder/Ceo of The Ordinary. In 2006,Anousheh Ansari, co-founder of theAnsari X Prize, became the first femalespace touristand first Iranian astronaut. Ansari is also the co-founder and former CEO of Prodea Systems, Inc., and Telecom Technologies, Inc. Test pilotJasmin Moghbelibecame the firstNASAastronaut of Iranian descent as mission commander ofSpaceX Crew-7and flight engineer aboard theInternational Space StationforExpedition 69andExpedition 70in 2023. In 2024, cardiologistEiman Jahangirbecame the first Iranian male astronaut onBlue Origin NS-26.
Other well known Iranian-American entrepreneurs include designerBijan Pakzad, entrepreneurSam Nazarian, business executive Hamid Akhavan, formerCEOofUnify GmbH & Co. KG(formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications),Omid KordestaniofTwitterand former Senior Vice President ofGoogle, CEO ofYouTubeSalar Kamangar,Sina TamaddonofApple Inc., andShahram DabiriLead Producer for themassively multiplayer online role-playing game(MMORPG)World of Warcraftfrom 1999 to 2007.Dara Khosrowshahibecame CEO ofExpediain August 2005 and then in August 2017, Khosrowshahi became the CEO ofUber, succeeding founderTravis Kalanick.Kam Ghaffarianis the founder of IBX,Axiom Space,Intuitive Machines, andX-energy; he reportedly has a net worth of $2.1 billion.
Many Iranian-Americans are active philanthropists and leaders in improving their community. In 2006, theUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centerwas the recipient of a $10 million donation from an Iranian-American couple based inHouston, Texas.TheUniversity of Southern Californiawas the recipient of a $17 million gift from an Iranian-American,as wasSan Francisco State Universitywhich received a $10 million gift from an Iranian-American couple.Chicago's Swedish Covenant Hospital received $4 million;Portland State University, $8 million;andUC Irvine, $30 million.
Notable Iranian-Americans in science includeFirouz Naderi, a director atNASA;Ali Javan, inventor of the first gas laser;Maryam Mirzakhani, the first female winner of theFields Medal;Nima Arkani-Hamed, a leading theoretical physicist; cancer biologistMina J. Bissell;Gholam A. Peyman, the inventor ofLASIK;Lotfi Asker Zadeh;Vartan Gregorian;Cumrun Vafa;Babak Hassibi;Nouriel Roubini;Ali Hajimiri;Pardis Sabeti;Vahid Tarokh;Ehsan Afshari;George Bournoutian;Nader Engheta;Payam Heydari; andRashid Massumi, M.D., a pioneer in the fields of electrophysiology and cardiology. Prominent Iranian-Americans in American higher education includeRahmat Shoureshi, researcher, professor, and provost ofNew York Institute of Technology(NYIT) andNariman Farvardin, president ofStevens Institute of Technology.
Well known American media personalities of Iranian descent includeChristiane AmanpourofABC NewsandCNN, born inEngland;Daron Malakian, member of the rock bandSystem of a Down;Susie Gharib, ofNightly Business Report;Asieh Namdar;Roya Hakakian;Yara Shahidi; andRudi Bakhtiar. There are several Iranian American actors, comedians and filmmakers, including theAcademy Awardnominee andEmmy AwardwinnerShohreh Aghdashloo, the award-winning director, producer and screenwriters Amir Cyrus Ahanchian andCyrus Nowrasteh, screenwriterArash Amel, actressesTala Ashe,Catherine Bell,Sarah Shahi,Nadia Bjorlin,Nasim Pedrad,Desiree Akhavan,Sheila Vand,Necar Zadegan,Medalion Rahimi, andBahar Soomekh, actorsAdrian Pasdar,Shaun Toub,Arian Moayed,Navid Negahban,Reza Sixo Safai, Shahaub Roudbari, and Aria Shahghasemi, musicians Sarah Fard (Savoir Faire)andRostam Batmanglij,comediansMax Amini,Maz JobraniandTehran Von Ghasri, filmmakersBavand KarimandKamshad Kooshan, producersBob YariandFarhad Safinia, author and performerShahram Shiva, and artist and filmmakerDaryush Shokof. Notable children's media writer/directorShabnam Rezaeihas created several children's TV series onHuluandPBSKids. There are also notable American YouTube personalities of Iranian descent, includingJonTron.
Professional tennis playerAndre Agassi,NFLfootball playersT. J. Houshmandzadeh,David BakhtiariandShar Pourdanesh, professional wrestlersShawn DaivariandThe Iron Sheik, professional mixed martial artistAmir Sadollah, professional soccer playersAlecko EskandarianandSteven Beitashourand professional soccer coachAfshin Ghotbi.
The son of the lateShahof Iran,Reza Pahlavi, as well as several high-ranking officials in the Shah's administration, such asHushang AnsaryandJamshid Amouzegarlive or have lived in the United States.Goli Ameriis the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs of theInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as the former U.S.Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairsfrom 2008 to 2009, during which she was the highest-ranking Iranian-American public official in the United States. Drug policy expertKevin Sabetis Iranian-American and the only person to serve as an appointee in the drug czar's office ofGeorge W. BushandBarack Obama.Beverly Hillselected its first Iranian-born Mayor,Jimmy Delshad, in 2007.Bob Yousefianserved as the mayor ofGlendale, Californiafrom 2004 to 2005. In November 2011,Anna M. Kaplanwas elected Councilwoman in theTown of North Hempstead, New York, becoming the first Iranian-American to be elected to a major municipal office in New York State.Cyrus Amir-Mokri, who was appointed as theTreasury DepartmentAssistant Secretaryfor Financial Institutions by President Obama, is the highest ranking Iranian-American official in government as of 2012.In November 2012,Cyrus Habibof Washington state andAdrin Nazarianof California became the first Iranian-Americans elected to state legislatures. Habib is now theLieutenant Governor of Washingtonand the first Iranian-American elected to any statewide office. Champaign County (Ohio) elected Fereidoun Shokouhi to the public office of Champaign County Engineer in 1995. He served until his retirement in 2012. Following the2020 House elections,RepublicanOklahoma RepresentativeStephanie Bicebecame the first Iranian-American elected toCongress.Following the2024 House elections, ArizonaDemocraticRepresentativeYassamin Ansari, became the second Iranian-American elected to Congressand the youngest woman elected to the119th Congress.
Azadeh Shahshahaniis a human rights attorney based in Atlanta and is a former president of theNational Lawyers Guild.