A guide to Iranian online dating
Young Iranians are turning to chat rooms — many deemed illegal by the Iranian government — to find dates or even potential spouses.
Online dating has increasingly become a way for young people in Iran to connect, and, as of late, even get married, though the latter is still quite uncommon.
Fariba, 31, is a newly divorced attorney living in Tehran who, in a phone conversation, tells Al-Monitor she blames her divorce on online dating. Fariba found her ex-husband in an Iranian chat room and met up with him after four chatting sessions. He is a Sharif University graduate, brilliant and good-looking. "All I knew," she says, "was that he was unable to hold a job. We dated for a year and then got married. Once we moved in together on our wedding night, I found out that he is addicted to crystal meth. Had we initially met in person, this would have been very unlikely."
But, most young, tech-savvy Iranians who have found dates through chat rooms, continue to frequent these online spaces and enjoy chatting, even if it doesn't result in a real-life meeting or a serious relationship.
Match-making and dating websites are deemed illegal by the administration, so almost all the Iran-based websites for meeting people are chat rooms and not designated for match-making. To launch their sites and remain online, Iranian chat rooms require permission from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
