Iran was commonly called Persia in the West until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Some Iranians still prefer to refer to it as Persia to distance themselves from the current Islamic regime which is closely associated with the term Iran in many people’s minds.
Iran country profile (from the BBC)
The World Factbook Iran (from the CIA)
A helpful book in understanding the history of Iran is Iran: Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy
Persian or Iranian?
Persian and Iranian are not identical in meaning. Persians are the largest ethnic group in Iran (60-65% of the population). The rest of the population are from other ethnic groups; they are Iranians (i.e. citizens of Iran) but not Persians. Iranian migrants in the UK include people from a number of ethnic groups.
Refugee Preaching Resources 