I am an American and I'm 58 yrs. old. It seems like I was not long out of high school (grad. 1976) when I heard the country, Persia would now be called Iran. Can someone tell me when this actually happened? I've read (online) where it happened in 1935, then it seemed it was not being recognized (as Iran) everywhere. I recall being shocked that they changed their name. I wasn't around in 1935 so is there a reason I found this out so much later? Was there a big deal made about it in the news in the late 70s or early 80s? I appreciate any enlightenment someone can afford me. Thank you!
The country was officially Iran from 1935, though the old name remained in widespread unofficial use in the west, where it perhaps recalled the ancient empire familiar from Classical history. The US seems to have had little trouble adapting, official documents from the 1953 coup episode referring fairly consistently to Iran. The later news you recall may involve the change to Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 following the Shah's overthrow.