<P> In the Western world , Persia ( or one of its cognates ) was historically the common name for Iran . On the Nowruz of 1935 , Reza Shah Pahlavi asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran , the endonym of the country , in formal correspondence . Since then , in the Western World , the use of the word `` Iran '' has become more common . This also changed the usage of the terms for Iranian nationality , and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from `` Persian '' to `` Iranian '' . In 1959 , the government of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi , Reza Shah Pahlavi 's son , announced that both `` Persia '' and `` Iran '' could officially be used interchangeably . However the issue is still debated today . </P>
<P> In the Western world , Persia ( or one of its cognates ) was historically the common name for Iran . On the Nowruz of 1935 , Reza Shah Pahlavi asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran , the endonym of the country , in formal correspondence . Since then , in the Western World , the use of the word `` Iran '' has become more common . This also changed the usage of the terms for Iranian nationality , and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from `` Persian '' to `` Iranian '' . In 1959 , the government of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi , Reza Shah Pahlavi 's son , announced that both `` Persia '' and `` Iran '' could officially be used interchangeably . However the issue is still debated today . </P>
when did the name of persia change to iran
when did the name of persia change to iran
1935
1935