Does anyone know how true this is
Well, it is from the US State deparment, part of the Bush administration......
Now seriously : The information is roughly correct. However its selection has a strong anti-Iranian bias.
Dual national Iranian-American citizens may encounter difficulty in departing Iran.
There are special regulations for dual nationals (treated as only Iranian in Iran). If you are a dual national, get a hold of these regulations before departure.
As a result, American citizens may be subject to harassment or arrest while traveling or residing in Iran. Recently, Iranian authorities prevented a number of Iranian-American citizen academics, journalists, and others who traveled to Iran for personal reasons from leaving for several months
If you actively engange with the Iranian oposition and publically voice anti-government opinions you will run into problems. However most tourists do not come to Iran for this purpose and thus will not encounter such problems.
The Iranian regime continues to repress its minority religious and ethnic groups, including Bahai, Arabs, Kurds, Azeris, and others. Consequently, some areas within the country where these minorities reside, including the Baluchistan border area near Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Kurdish northwest of the country, and areas near the Iraqi border, remain unsafe. Armed attacks on the road between Bam and Kerman in May 2007 also render this area unsafe.
Generally true. While the Kurish areas have become a bit safer, the areas directly adjacent to the borders with Iraq, Afghanistan & Pakistan are indeed unsafe. All other areas of Iran are very safe on the other hand.
Having said all of that : Iranians are among the most friendly people in the world and it is very unlikely you will encounter any problems whatsoever. Unless you do something really stupid like taking a photgraph of a nuclear site or similar you'll have a memorable, safe and enjoyable trip.
