For Americans of a certain age these four words are inextricably linked. The Iran hostage crisis forever burned Iran and Khomeini into our minds as emblems of danger and evil. Nearly 30 years have passed since then, but stories of nukes, kooky mullahs, and oppressed women have done little to improve Iran’s image.

In December 2005 I walked into an Iranian embassy, saw a picture of Khomeini frowning down, and all of those early memories came flooding back. As the trip approached my foreboding increased – by the day of the flight I was much more worked up about Iran than I had ever been with North Korea or Iraq.

It didn’t help that I’d decided to fly Iran Air. At first it seemed like an interesting airline to try, plus it offered a convenient connection from where I was staying in Seoul. The problem was ... (more)