In the
Western world,
Persia (or its cognates) was historically the common name for
Iran. In 1935,
Reza Shah asked foreign delegates to use the term
Iran, the historical name of the country, used by its native people, 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 names for the Iranian nationality, and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from
Persian to
Iranian. In 1959, the government of
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Shah Pahlavi's son, announced that both "Persia" and "Iran" could officially be used interchangeably.