Asia · Southern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Iran
A single time zone at UTC+03:30.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Iran's time
A single time zone.
Iran operates on a single time zone, UTC+03:30, known as Iran Standard Time (IRST), one of the few time zones in the world offset by a half hour. Notably, Iran has not observed Daylight Saving Time since 2022, keeping the time consistent year-round.
Major cities
Cities of Iran.
History
How Iran keeps time.
Iran officially adopted UTC+03:30 in 1935, replacing the older solar time used historically based on Tehran's local mean time. The half-hour offset was chosen to better align national time with the country's geographic position between two standardized hour meridians. Iran observed daylight saving time in most years from 1977 to 2022; parliament abolished it in 2022, and the last clock change was in September 2022. The country maintains a unified time zone despite its large east-west span, ensuring synchronized national operations.
Did you know?
Things about Iran's time.
Iran’s UTC+03:30 is one of a handful of half-hour offsets, alongside Afghanistan (UTC+04:30), India (UTC+05:30) and central Australia (UTC+09:30); no other country uses UTC+03:30. Because the 52.5°E meridian runs through the middle of the country, solar noon comes before clock noon in the east and after it in the west. This unusual offset can create brief confusion for international scheduling but remains deeply embedded in national infrastructure and daily life.
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Iran to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Iran's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Iran observe Daylight Saving Time?
- No, Iran has not observed Daylight Saving Time since 2022. It remains on UTC+03:30 (IRST) throughout the year.
- Why is Iran's time zone UTC+03:30?
- Iran adopted UTC+03:30 in 1935 to better align its national clock with its geographic position between two full-hour meridians, a compromise reflecting both western and eastern longitudinal realities.
- How does Iran's time compare to neighboring countries?
- Iran is 3.5 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It shares a similar half-hour offset with Afghanistan (UTC+04:30), while neighboring Iraq uses UTC+03:00 and Pakistan uses UTC+05:00.
- Is Iran the only country with a half-hour time zone?
- No. Other half-hour offsets include Afghanistan (UTC+04:30), India and Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30), Myanmar (UTC+06:30) and central Australia (UTC+09:30). Nepal (UTC+05:45) and New Zealand's Chatham Islands (UTC+12:45) use 45-minute offsets.
- Does Iran have multiple time zones?
- No, Iran maintains a single time zone (UTC+03:30) across its entire territory, despite its large geographic span from east to west.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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