Iran's extremes

On the one hand you have the mad mullahs and on the other...

Drink, drugs and sex on the slopes: the secret world of Iranian youth

From The Independent

In the ski resorts, life is more free than the socially restricted cities, drawing criticism from conservative parts of the establishment. Shemshak, the main resort town a 90-minute drive from Tehran, is known for illegal parties, where young men and women mix without supervision, drink alcohol and use drugs.

Shemshak is as far from the traditional image of Iran as you can get. Girls wear hats and ski jackets instead of the regulation scarves and long manteaus. The resort appears a declared area of truce in the public morality battle being waged between the young and the conservative elements in Iran. Here,the talk is of foreign holidays, parties and expensive clothes. A large four-wheel drive vehicle pulls up by the cabin entrance. The thumping beat of reggae washes over the car park and five languid young men step out, stretching, yawning and smoking. Their long hair, goatee beards and garish, chunky clothing define them as snowboarders.

"This is the place to be seen in the winter," says Ali Reza, an 18-year-old student from wealthy north Tehran. "Up here, nobody bothers us and we can really chill out on the snow."

While back in Tehran...

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - Iran wants to team up with European states and Russia to produce enriched uranium, hoping that by involving them it can remove fears that it is developing nuclear arms, a senior official was quoted as saying Friday

From Reuters