Iran Hosted 46-Room D.C. Galas for U.S. Officials in the 1970s
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 21
Iran Hosted 46-Room D.C. Galas for U.S. Officials in the 1970s
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 21
Summary
A 46-room Georgian mansion on Washington’s Massachusetts Avenue served as the stage for lavish 1970s parties Iran used to entertain senior U.S. officials.
Ardeshir Zahedi, Tehran’s ambassador, presided over evenings of Dom Pérignon, beluga caviar, belly dancers and celebrity guests including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Andy Warhol.
The social offensive reflected Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi’s pro-Western alignment and an oil boom that gave Iran billions to spend on U.S. weapons and elite hospitality.
The account highlights how sharply pre-revolutionary Iran’s image in Washington differed from the Islamic Republic that later banned alcohol, dancing and public mingling between men and women.