Checking the clock for a meeting or a flight shouldn't be a headache. But if you’re looking at Iran, it’s a bit of a curveball. Right now, Tehran sits at UTC+3:30.
Wait. Plus thirty? Yeah.
Most of the world sticks to nice, round hourly offsets. Iran, however, is one of those rebellious few—alongside places like India and parts of Australia—that uses a half-hour offset. If it’s noon in London (UTC+0), it isn't 3:00 PM or 4:00 PM in Tehran. It is exactly 3:30 PM.
No More "Spring Forward"
For decades, Iran played the same game as the US and Europe. They’d shift the clocks twice a year. You’d wake up groggy in March because you lost an hour, then get it back in September.
That ended in September 2022.
The Iranian government decided they were done with Daylight Saving Time (DST). Basically, the lawmakers argued that the energy savings weren't worth the biological chaos and the logistical nightmares. So, they stopped. If you see an old travel blog mentioning "Iran Daylight Time" (IRDT), ignore it. That's old news. Tehran now stays on Iran Standard Time (IRST) all year long.
Why the 30-Minute Offset Exists
It feels random, doesn't it? It isn't.
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Time zones are usually based on meridians. Most countries pick a line of longitude that’s a multiple of 15 degrees because $15^\circ \times 24 \text{ hours} = 360^\circ$. It makes the math easy.
Iran’s "standard" meridian is $52.5^\circ$ East.
Do the math: $52.5 / 15 = 3.5$.
They chose a time that actually reflects where the sun is in the sky over the center of the country, rather than forcing themselves into a neighbor's box. It’s scientifically accurate, even if it makes your smartphone calendar act a little weird sometimes.
Doing Business with Tehran
If you’re trying to call a partner in Tehran from New York or London, you have to be careful. Because Iran doesn't change its clocks but you probably do, the gap shifts twice a year.
- During Northern Hemisphere Winter: When London is on GMT and New York is on EST, the gap is stable.
- During Northern Hemisphere Summer: When the West "springs forward" but Tehran stays still, the difference shrinks by an hour.
Kinda confusing? Totally.
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Actually, here is a quick way to think about it: Tehran is usually 8.5 hours ahead of New York in the winter and 7.5 hours ahead in the summer.
The Rhythm of the City
Time in Tehran isn't just about the digits on a screen. The city has a pulse that dictates when things actually happen.
If you're visiting, don't expect much to happen before 9:00 AM. Tehran is a late-night city. Traffic is a beast, especially on the Hemmat or Modarres highways. Because of the heat in the summer and the general culture, people stay out late. Parks are packed at 11:00 PM with families eating grilled corn (balal) and drinking tea.
Friday is the weekend. This is the big one travelers miss. The Iranian work week runs from Saturday to Wednesday, with many offices open for a half-day on Thursday. Friday is for resting, hiking in Darband, or visiting the Grand Bazaar (though parts of it might be closed). If you try to schedule a business call on a Friday morning, you're going to get a voicemail.
Navigating the Solar Hijri Calendar
While the clock shows 2026 for us, the official calendar in Iran is the Solar Hijri calendar.
It’s an astronomical calendar, meaning it follows the actual movement of the earth around the sun. The year begins on the Spring Equinox—Nowruz. This is the biggest holiday in the country. Everything shuts down for about two weeks.
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If you are planning a trip or a product launch around late March, stop. The entire country is on vacation. It is a beautiful time to see the traditions, like the Haft-Sin table, but a terrible time to get a permit or a signature on a contract.
Technical Glitches to Watch For
Because Iran's decision to scrap DST was relatively recent (late 2022), some older servers and legacy software still "auto-correct" the time in March.
I’ve seen travelers miss flights because their phone updated to a time that didn't exist.
Honestly, the safest bet is to manually set your phone’s time zone to "Tehran" rather than relying on the "Set Automatically" toggle if you’re near the borders. Digital infrastructure sometimes lags behind legislative changes.
Actionable Advice for Managing Tehran Time
- Double-check your GMT offset. Always verify if your local area is currently in DST before calculating the gap.
- Use 24-hour time. Most official schedules in Iran (trains, flights) use the 24-hour clock. Avoid the AM/PM confusion.
- Download "Snapp". It’s the local version of Uber. It uses real-time GPS and local time syncing to get you through Tehran’s legendary traffic.
- Factor in "Taarof". When someone offers you something "on the house," it’s often a polite ritual called Taarof. You should insist on paying at least three times before they accept. This can add 5 minutes to every transaction. Plan accordingly.
Tehran is a city that bridges ancient history and high-tech chaos. Its time zone is just one small part of that unique identity. Once you get used to that extra 30 minutes, everything else starts to fall into place.
Check your clock. Sync your calendar. You're ready.