We checked the State Department web site ourselves and it clearly indicates that the department advises against traveling to this nation but does not prohibit travel. It even directs you to the Iranian Interests Section of the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. to acquire a visa. For information on conducting financial transactions in Iran we downloaded a booklet printed by the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (www.treas.gov/ofac/) entitled, Iran: What You Need To Know About U.S. Economic Sanctions. The booklet clearly states under the section "Dealing In Iranian-Origin Goods and Services" that US persons "are prohibited from engaging in any transactions, including purchase, sale, transportation, swap, financing, or brokering transactions related to goods or services of Iranian origin or goods or services owned or controlled by the Government of Iran."
The booklet also indicates that there are some very limited exceptions to the restrictions, allowing Americans to import gifts valued at $100 or less, informational materials and specific foodstuffs, carpets and other textile floor coverings and wall hangings classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. And it also........(continued)
