Mehran, Ilam

Mehran (Persian: مهران) is a city in the Central District of Mehran County, Ilam province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Mehran is near Iran's western border with Iraq. Because of its strategic proximity (only two hours' drive from Baghdad) the city has played a continuing role in dealings between Iran and Iraq.

In May 1981, during the Iran–Iraq War, in the Battle of Mehran, Iraqi forces captured Mehran, on the western plain of the Zagros Mountains and pushed eastward to the mountain base. Along with other Iraqi forces, they had been driven out by 1982-83.

All the people of this city are Kurds and most of them are from Malekshahi and Shohan tribes. The city is mostly populated by Kurds with a small Shohani minority.

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 13,118 in 2,958 households. The following census in 2011 counted 14,920 people in 3,745 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 17,435 people in 5,019 households.

Mehran has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh).

In December 2022 Mehran border market accounts for 23 percent of Iran' total exports to Iraq.