In September and October 2022, the world witnessed Iran protests due to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in moral police custody in Tehran. This incident led to one of the largest protests after the 1979 revolution in Iran.
It has been more than a decade that Iran is facing protests almost every single year. The main reason for the protests is the poor economic conditions for a living. The high rate of unemployment, the low level of life infrastructure and standards are among the other reason for the protests in Iran.
A lot of tours were canceled and tourists decided to wait to visit Iran during the next year or years.
Please read this post if you are planning to visit Iran during the protests or if you are already in Iran. I do not write my personal idea about the protests, the reason and the ideology. This post aims to give you hints for an enjoyable and safe trip to Iran.
Iran is safe, we are having our normal daily life.
What you see in the media about the violated protests, was or is only a tiny percentage of the situation in Iran. Please do not take them into consideration for your trip to Iran.
Over 2000 professional and certified guides have their main income from foreign tourism. You can add hotels, restaurants, drivers, and other traveling items to that list.
So, to change your plan for a trip to Iran with the first news you see or hear, can be a little hastily.
I have hosted tourists during the covid 19 and during different protests in Iran. Nothing surprising happened. As a foreign tourist, you only need to have attention to some subjects.
What should and shouldn’t be done in Iran during the protests?
Similar to many governments in the world, the Iranian government can be quite sensitive to foreign citizens’ presence IN the protests.
So, please do not get close to the crowd of protesters. If you are walking in a street and you can see or hear the protests, please change your direction not to face the protests
DO NOT take photos from protests or whatever is related to the protests.
DO NOT ask people’s opinions about the protests and similarly, do not answer people’s questions about protests.
Change the subject and refrain from answering such questions to both parties.
Do not take photos from police stations, police cars and policemen.
DO NOT bring your drone to Iran and do not film with it. Even with no protests, the Iranian government doesn’t like drones!
Ask for guidance from your trusted guides or travel agents in Iran.
Do not take photos from police stations, police cars and policemen.
After all, you are only a tourist and a visitor to Iran. There is absolutely no need to be involved (by any means) in any kind of protest in Iran.
And please accept Iran with the protests. The protests are now a part of daily life in Iran. It may start and end in no time.