Well I agree with Yes & No
I have been approached my many Iranians "Are you Persian?" I say emphatically no-'I am Indian'. Some people ask if I am Italian, Greek and Spanish too. It is funny how some people dont take no for an answer
Well I should let you know. I have a light skin tone and grey eyes but my hair is black. Indian people in my community (Punjabi Jatt Sikh)have no doubt that I am Indian. We have a variety of phenotypes: Some Punjabi people are white skinned with blue eyes (not too common) some are light skinned and some are dark skinned like a chocolate type (not too common either)
My grandfather, myself and some cousins have lighter eyes than the usual lightbrown/brown eye colour of Punjabi Jatt Sikh people.
Back to the 'Iranian' issue-I have had some dealings with this culture over the last 15 years. In fact I have had 3 Iranian girl friends-they thought I was 'persian' and I thought they were Indian. However I am now with a Punjabi Jatt Sikh girl (just makes things easier being with someone from your own culture). I had great times with the Iranian girls. It was funny though-at one point one of the girls I almost married-the family was protesting that she was with an Indian-they were speechless when they saw me (LOL).Her brother tried to tell me "you are the wrong skin tone" I said to him "dude I am lighter than your whole family" that shut him up. A family friend of hers liked her and was upset that his mother (Armenian married to an Iranian) said that I was handsome (not tooting my own horn but that is life). This ticked him off and he tried to put me down for not being Iranian etc. Sad, really sad. However I have met some awesome Iranian people too-who know that they are from the same racial stock as Indians in general as the whole area of Iran and India has Northern Caucasoid influence and Southern Dravidian influences. Some Iranians are a bit lighter in certain parts of Iran than others due to the Bactrian Greek Influence (the Greek policy was one to marry and subjugate the conquered whereas Roman and later British policy was to segregate (not too many Anglo-Indians as a result) seen more effective for social control. The ancient Indians vis a vis King Porus defeated the Greeks (alexander-however the Eurocentric view is now to admit mortal wounds but he 'died' of malaria (LOL)).
Well peace.......
PS...In the end as far as science can tell me......we are all from Africa-I have no problem with this.....dont be racist towards groups-if some person of a particular group 'jacked' you then hate him or her......or better yet dont hate at all........