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Iranian folklore

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (L) holds a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) on the second straight day of talks over Tehran's nuclear program in Vienna, July 14, 2014.

The Persian art of declining what you really want and offering what you’ll never give could play a role in US-Iran nuclear talks

Culture

“Tarof” is a traditional verbal dance Iranians often use to show respect or to be sarcastic toward someone. With “tarof,” words are not what they seem. And things can get very complicated.

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