Balkan/Turkey/Iran or Trans Siberian/Mongolia/China

Folks,

I'm hoping to have the opportunity to some travel in August for roughly 9 weeks. I am looking at two trips.

1. 3 weeks in the Balkans, 3/4 weeks Turkey and 2/3 weeks Iran.

2. Start in Czech/Poland and get to Moscow in 2 weeks via Baltics (been there before so don't mind rushing through) and St. Petersburg. 2 weeks from Moscow - Ulaan Bataar, 2 weeks in Mongolia, then 3 weeks or so to do what I can in China from Beijing.

I will be on a budget, but it will be somewhat flexible if I felt it was worth it. Obviously option 2 would be the more expensive, but I am just wondering by how much from people's experiences?

As I see it, with Trip 1:

Pros: relatively small distance, cheap airfare possibilities, only visa issue is Iran*, I was in Jordan, Egypt, Sudan last year and loved it, seems cheapest.

Cons: *It seems you may no longer be able to cross over land from Turkey to Iran, will it be too hot in September to be comfortable in Turkey/Iran?, feels like I will really have to rush through Balkans.

With Trip 2:

Pros: A bigger sense of adventure going from Europe to China overland, bigger variety of cultures and landscapes, seems like a good time of year to do it.

Cons: Costs (maybe), visa headaches (im on an Irish passport if that makes a difference), a lot of time spent travelling.

In terms of interests I enjoy experiencing different cultures, I have an interest in history and enjoy seeing natural wonders.

Any views would be appreciated,

Cheers.

P.S. I'm going to cross-post this and hope that doesn't cause any undue distress!