Shah’s are all gone. I know a lot of Iranians and a lot in my daughters school and they prefer to say they are from Persia. I always ask where is Persia. Just to tick them off.
My experience.
Yeah, they say they’re Persian because they are Persian. But just because you’re Iranian doesn’t mean you’re Persian. Iran is full of other ethnic groups besides the Persians.
True, but that's just a reflective response to dissociate themselves from the current Islamic Republic of Iran.
After 1979 for many Americans Iran equated the Ayatollah, so saying you are "Persian" was a convenient way of dissociation.