What is the capital of Iran?
Tehran spreads out at the southern foot of the Alborz mountains in northern Iran, climbing from about 1,100 metres in the south to over 1,800 metres in the north.
Tehran is the capital and seat of government of Iran, a role it has held since 1786. Iran itself has an estimated population of 92,417,681 (2025).
Tehran is also the largest city in Iran, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Tehran at a glance
| City population | 8,693,706 (2016 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 16,800,000 (estimate) |
| Country | 🇮🇷 Iran |
| Capital since | 1786 |
| Largest city in Iran | Tehran |
| Time zone | UTC+03:30 (IRST) |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) |
About Tehran
Tehran has been the capital of Iran since 1786, Tehran became Iran's capital in 1786 under Agha Mohammad Khan, founder of the Qajar dynasty.
Tehran is Iran's largest city and the most populous in West Asia.
It keeps an unusual time zone of UTC+03:30, half an hour offset from standard hourly zones.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Tehran.
Frequently asked questions
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Iran on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.