List of Famous people born in Iran

Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American scholar of religious studies, writer, and television host. A convert to evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to write about Christianity. He has written four books on religion: No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth and God: A Human History.

Navid Afkari was an Iranian wrestler who was sentenced to death and executed in Iran, after the Islamic Republic claimed he had murdered a security guard during the 2018 Iranian protests. His execution caused a global outcry, as Afkari's conduct during the protests had been peaceful, the confession obtained from Afkari was under duress, and the reason for execution was because Afkari took part in the protests. Afkari's brothers Vahid and Habib were sentenced to 54 and 27 years, respectively, in prison in the same case. While Afkari initially accepted the murder charge, he would later state that it had been a forced confession, with him having been tortured into making a false confession. Despite the Islamic Republic's efforts to portray Afkari's execution as retribution for the deceased security guard, the murder charge was never proven. Afkari's death was followed by worldwide condemnation of the regime, ranging from individual to national statements, including statements released by the EU, the International Olympic Committee IOC, and individuals like UFC president Dana White and Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi was a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an academic physicist, and a senior official in the nuclear program of Iran.

Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī was a classical Arabic poet. Born in the city of Ahvaz, in modern-day Iran, to an Arab father and a Persian mother, he became a master of all the contemporary genres of Arabic poetry. He also entered the folkloric tradition, appearing several times in One Thousand and One Nights. He died during the Great Abbasid Civil War before al-Ma’mūn advanced from Khurāsān in either 199 or 200 AH.

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, born ʻAbbás, was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later canonized as the last of three "central figures" of the religion, along with Baháʼu'lláh and the Báb, and his writings and authenticated talks are regarded as a source of Baháʼí sacred literature.

Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-American businessman and the chief executive officer of Uber. Khosrowshahi was previously CEO of Expedia Group, a company that owns several travel fare aggregators. He is also a member of the board of directors of BET.com, and Hotels.com, and previously served on the board of The New York Times Company.

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah, was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as king (shah). Originally chieftain of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a young adult upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar.

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, also known as Sir Alfred Mehran, is an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport from 26 August 1988 until July 2006, when he was hospitalized. His autobiography was published as a book, The Terminal Man, in 2004.

Esmail Qaani is an Iranian brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and commander of its Quds Force — a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations. Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei appointed Qaani as Commander of the Quds Force and is the successor of Qasem Soleimani.

Maryam Monsef is an Afghan Canadian politician. She was elected to represent the riding of Peterborough—Kawartha as a Liberal member the House of Commons of Canada in 2015. A member of the 29th Canadian Ministry, she is the current Minister for Women and Gender Equality, sworn in on January 10, 2017, and Minister of Rural Economic Development, sworn in on November 20, 2019. She was previously the Minister of International Development, until November 20, 2019, and Minister of Democratic Institutions and President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada until January 10, 2017.