Iran...or....

[flatron]

HI, I have noticed that military people pronounce the word Iran like this: /airan/ and non-military people say /iran/...So are both of them right? and if so, why do military people pronounce it differently? Is a military jargon?

[jamiep]

I know that American English speakers tend to pronounce it as /airan/ while British English uses i:ran. I have never noticed any military / non-military influence.