Iranian Beauty Pageant Held After 45 Years; Hosted in Italy by an American Company

The first Iranian beauty pageant (Miss Persia) will be held in late June this year, organized by an Iranian organizer in Rome, Italy. The winner of this competition will qualify for the Miss Universe pageant. The national director of Miss Persia for Miss Universe told Voice of America, "We were able to gain the right to participate in the Miss Universe competition for the first time since the 1979 Revolution, but due to existing restrictions in Iran, we are holding this event in Rome, Italy." Golshan Bakhtiari stated that the organizing company is a registered non-profit cultural organization in the United States, adding, "Due to sanctions, it was not possible to accept any girls from inside Iran to participate in this year's Iranian beauty pageant, but 21 Iranian participants residing in 14 countries were accepted." These 21 participants will compete over four days under the supervision of four judges, and the Iranian beauty queen will be announced on June 18, qualifying for the global competition. Participants include Farzaneh Asghari, a modeling entrepreneur and sister of Sam Asghari, Ava and Henshan, a singer, Somayeh Rashidi, an actress residing in France, and Mahsa Majared, a television presenter. The Miss Universe competition will take place in Mexico this November. In addition to beauty and appearance, social impact and charitable activities are among the most important criteria for excellence in global beauty pageants.