In Iran, young love isn't always a many-splendoured thing

One in three marriages fails in the Iranian capital; in its northern quarter, home to the more affluent Western-leaning metropolitan elite, the figure is more than 40%. - AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE

For young Iranians, marriage is far less a magic carpet ride than a bumpy road ahead.

Like an increasing number of Iranians, Mahnaz divorced after marrying young because of the pressures of a conservative society that she feels often ignores a relationship’s most important ingredient: love. Now single, she looks back with sadness on the collapse of her marriage, but bears no anger towards her parents who made the arrangements seven years ago.