Iranian Americans

Iranian-Americans, also known as Persian Americans, are United States citizens or inhabitants who have Iranian ancestry or citizenship. According to Iran's National Organization for Civil Registration, the United States has the largest Iranian diaspora population in the world. A 2004 study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimated the number of Iranian-Americans at approximately 691,000.

Beginning in the 1950s, the Imperial State of Iran sponsored thousands of Iranian students to study in the United States through government scholarship programs, contributing to the growth of early Iranian communities centered around American universities. However, following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, a much larger wave of Iranians immigrated to the United States, many fleeing repression or pursuing greater economic opportunities. More than 40% settled in Southern California, particularly in Greater Los Angeles, where they formed distinct ethnic enclaves such as the community of "Tehrangeles" in Westwood.