Iran Considers Abolishing DST
By Anne Buckle and Mathew Gundersen. Published 17-Mar-2022. Changed 11-May-2022
Iran is considering removing Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Confirmed: Iran Removes DST
From 2023, Iran will not set their clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time (DST) but remain on standard time permanently.
Iran is considering a permanent move to standard time. The skyline of Tehran, Iran.
©iStockphoto.com/jacquesvandinteren
The members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Iran want to remove Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Iran permanently. On March 15, Iranian lawmakers passed an article repealing the law that governs DST time changes.
Timeframe Unknown
The law change needs to be approved by the Guardian Council before it can be signed into law, and with Iran's DST change due in less than a week, it seems unlikely that the law will pass before the time change.
Iran is due to spring forward 1 hour at 00:00 (midnight) to 01:00 (1 am) local time on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Time in Iran
Iran uses Iran Standard Time (IRST) as standard time, and Iran Daylight Time (IRDT) during DST, also known as summer time.
Unlike most time zones, Iran has a half-hour offset instead of the usual full-hour offset: UTC+3:30 during standard time and UTC+4:30 during summer time.
Iran bases its standard time specifically on the solar time at 52.5° east longitude, which runs about 400 km (250 miles) east of Tehran.
DST Dates Based on the Sun
DST in Iran starts on 1 Farvardin—the first month in the Persian Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding to March 21 or 22 in the Western Gregorian calendar.
The Iranian calendar is based on Earth's movements around the Sun, and the start of Farvardin is defined as the midnight closest to the March equinox in Iran's time zone IRST.
DST ends on 30 Shahrivar—the sixth month in the Solar Hijri calendar—equivalent to September 21 or 22 in the Gregorian calendar.