First Impressions: Tehran

Lara Setrakian, part of our recent expansion of reporters stationed around the globe, blogs from the Iranian capital: "Iran is full of surprises," I often hear from those who know the country well, and my first day here didn’t disappoint. People were friendly from the start — as a gesture of goodwill airport immigration let me go without a "finger map" (taking my prints). Walking through the airport the first place I saw to change US dollars into local currency was Bank Melli, a bank the State Department designated a financial sponsor of terror last November. (At left, Bank Melli.) For what it’s worth the bankers were nice enough to help me with my suitcase, overstuffed with Iran-friendly, show-no-skin sweaters I packed for the occasion. My first full day in the required headscarf wasn’t too bothersome. The Tehran I saw in a day didn’t have hard and fast standards on how the hejab, as it’s called, must be worn. There were girls with colorful scarves half off their heads, layers of styled hair framing their face. We took the "Basij expressway" into town, named for the internal military force with a harsh reputation for cracking down on immoral behavior. They periodically come down on women whose headscarves fall too low, a status known as "bad hejab." Later that day I saw a women’s clothing store with little black dresses in the window and a sign warning women with "bad hejab" not to come in. (At right, the warning sign.) I find it interesting that English and Farsi, the language spoken here, have many commonalities — the word "bad" is the same in both languages so the phrase "bad hejab" is the same in both as well. Tehran had charming corners — like the Ghandi District’s Shouka cafe, favored by writers and artists. The playwright-owner was a gracious host, even while griping that foreign reporters pump up the false perception that all people living in Iran are terrorists. (At left, the cafe owner.) Parts of Tehran look rundown, but still the streets are bustling. Inflation is a big problem. My driver, Siamak, offered me a candy bar that he says doubled in price since last month. Groceries and daily goods are getting more expensive, Siamak explained, pushing economic goals like homeownership out of reach for much of the middle class. I’m surprised by what I see and don’t see in Tehran. No portraits of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unlike other Middle Eastern capitals that are plastered with photos of their heads of state. There are pictures of Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei and of Imam Khomeini, father of the Islamic Revolution, looking less angry than in images I’m used to seeing in the West. I was most surprised to see Coke and Pepsi on offer at my first meal — a taste of America next to my kubideh kabob. (At right, my first meal.)