Yes, you can smoke at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) — travellers consistently report designated smoking rooms airside, past security in both the eastern and western boarding wings of the main terminal, and there are open-air areas outside the building. The general terminal is otherwise smoke-free under Iran’s ban on smoking in enclosed public places.
IKA is Tehran’s main international gateway, sitting about 30 km southwest of the city and handling almost all of Iran’s long-haul and regional international traffic. Many passengers pass through on long connections, so knowing where the airside smoking rooms are matters.
Terminal 1 (Main International Terminal)
The main terminal is where nearly all international departures and transit connections happen, and it is where the smoking rooms are. Past security and passport control, travellers report enclosed smoking rooms in both the eastern and western boarding wings — reached by continuing to the wing entrances and looking for the marked rooms, several of which are fitted with TVs. Two more indoor smoking spots are reported near passport control: a small café (straight ahead from passport control, then down to the left) and the business lounge to the right. The CIP lounge also has its own smoking room for premium and meet-and-greet passengers.
These rooms are all airside, so transit passengers can use them without clearing immigration. Confidence here is traveller-reported rather than officially published — the airport does not maintain a reliable English facilities page, one recent review mentioned finding no room, and exact locations can shift — so look for signage or ask airline ground staff or the information desk if the nearest room isn’t obvious.
Salam Terminal
The Salam Terminal opened in 2019 as a separate building of roughly 65,000 m², first for Hajj charters and now handling some domestic and international flights. No dedicated airside smoking room is documented for the Salam Terminal. If you depart from here, plan to smoke at the outdoor areas outside the entrance before you go through security, and confirm with staff on arrival whether an airside room is available for your gate.
Outdoor Smoking
Landside, you can smoke in the open-air areas outside the terminal entrances — use the kerbside and forecourt, standing away from doorways and other travellers. This is the most reliable option at either terminal, and the fallback if an airside room is closed or hard to find. Iran’s indoor ban is enforced unevenly; outdoor smoking away from crowds draws no attention.
Vaping
Iran prohibits the sale and use of e-cigarettes and vapes nationwide. Bringing a vape into the country is legally risky and can lead to confiscation, so do not vape at the airport — indoors or outdoors. This is the firmer rule for travellers: enforcement of the cigarette ban is relaxed, the vape ban is not.
Transit and Long Layovers
Connections through IKA are often long, and the airside smoking rooms in the main terminal’s boarding wings are the practical answer — transit passengers can reach them without exiting through immigration and re-entering. There is a coffee shop in the transit hall, plus a mosque and quiet areas for resting on long waits. If your connection routes through the Salam Terminal, or if you cannot find an open room, the outdoor areas landside are the certain option — leaving airside means re-clearing security and, for some nationalities, immigration.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 airside (boarding wings) | Rooms (reported) | Enclosed rooms east + west; café + business lounge near passport control |
| CIP lounge | Room (reported) | Own smoking room for premium passengers |
| Salam Terminal airside | None documented | Smoke outdoors before security |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Outside terminal entrances — most reliable |
| Vapes | Banned | Prohibited nationwide, indoors and out |
For Iran’s airport smoking rules and the nationwide vape ban, see our Iran airport guide.