Taarof

alt=A man bows and holds his hand on the chest, expressing deference and respect|thumb|A Taarof gesture, where a man is bowing and holding his hand on the chest as a sign of respect and humbleness. Taarof or tarof () is a Persian word that refers to an Iranian form of civility or art of etiquette that emphasizes both deference and social rank.

Taarof is a ritual politeness that levels the playing field and promotes equality in a hierarchical culture. Taarof between friends, or a host and guest, emphasizes the value of friendship as a priority to everything else in the world. Another understanding is that taarof is a way of managing social relations with decorous manners. It could be used positively, as a basis for mutual goodwill, or negatively, as "a social or political weapon that confuses the recipient and puts him at a disadvantage". Those who are intimately familiar with Iranian culture seem to agree that taarof is one of the most fundamental things to understand about Iranian culture.