Kish Island Dilemma

My friend Ayan (yes I am calling you out) put the crazy idea in my head to visit Kish Island, aka Iran while here in Dubai. Kish is a tiny island off the coast of Iran that is a free zone, which essentially means that foreigners (including US Citizens) can enter without a visa. The standard response, when I excitedly divulged plans to people was, “ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!?”. I even consulted my dad, who is an immigration lawyer on if this was a good idea. He said I could go, but I should be very careful, not go alone, and leave as soon as possible. So initially I conducted some basic research, but everything I found out seemed shadier by the moment. Below is a summary.

1.Kish Air website – There once used to be a boat from Dubai to the island, but it no longer runs. You can’t buy airline tickets from the website. You need to call travel agents and buy tickets 10 days before you want to fly; that is when the tickets become available. However, the travel agents have no other information regarding the island other than that folks go there for visa runs. Shady.
2.Opinions – I ask my friends in Dubai and co-workers (who are all very well traveled). Nobody has even thought of going there or has known anyone who has gone. Several co-workers had gone to Tehran a few years back, but they were French. Actually, one friend mentioned that his Filipino friend had gone for a visa run, but alas she is not a US Citizen. Shadier.
3.Kish Island Tourism – I call Iran from Dubai. Yes , I call Iran, this is exciting. No answer from the Kish Tourism board, or any hotels located on the island. Nobody picks up the phone. I called and emailed the US consulate in Dubai, and I get a generic response 3 weeks later to refer to the website. Useless. And Shady as hell.
4.The News – The international news is splattered with headlines about the 2 American hikers who have been imprisoned in Iran for 2 years for mistakenly hiking across the Iraq/Iran border and could be sentenced for another 8 years. Shadiest.

Conclusion – There is a fine line between thrill seeking adventure and reckless stupidity. This trip may undoubtedly cross that line. Kish Island and Iran will be saved for some other lifetime. The thought of being subject to an Iranian prison is daunting, especially after reading Maziar Bahari’s tale of 118 days in the notorious Evin prison, and he’s Iranian.