The geodynamic evolution of Iran during Mesozoic- Cenozoic time is the story of formation and destruction of a convergent plate margin. This evolution has been controlled by the transition from oceanic subduction along the Zagros convergent margin to continental collision during late Eocene onward (Tadayon et al. 2019). Oceanic subduction was accompanied by Cretaceous supra-subduction magmatism and opening of oceanic back arc basins (Shafaii Moghadam et al. 2020) and Eocene magmatic flare-up (Verdel et al. 2011; Shafaii Moghadam et al. 2016; Rabiee et al. 2020) collision was accompanied by intense intraplate deformation in Central Iran (Nozaem et al. 2013; Calzolari et al. 2016; Tadayon et al. 2017) and controlled the distribution of vigorous syn- to post-collisional magmatism within the different tectonic domains of the Iranian region (Azizi and Moinevaziri 2009; Aghazadeh et al. 2010; Verdel et al. 2011; Allen et al. 2013; Pang et al. 2013; Castro et al. 2013; Neill et al. 2015; Shafaii Moghadam et al. 2016, 2020; Lechmann et al. 2018; Nouri et al. 2018; Rabiee et al. 2020). The Iranian region is thus an ideal natural laboratory to study and link the magmatic activity to the evolving geodynamic/tectonic scenarios along the Alpine-Himalayan convergence zone. This special issue brings together diverse and comprehensive studies on the petrography, geochemistry, geochronology and tectonic setting of Mesozoic- Cenozoic magmatism in Iran, with the aim to better understand its tectono-magmatic and geodynamic evolution. This special issue consists of eleven papers that report progress on Triassic magmatism in northeast Iran, Jurassic magmatism in the Sanandaj Sirjan zone (SaSZ), mid-Cretaceous sedimentation and Cenozoic magmatism in the Urmieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt (UDMB).
