Twentieth century Persian poetry is marked by the tensions between modernity and traditionalism. The classical school adhered to the traditional modes of expression and thought and remained aloof from contemporary issues and themes. On the contrary, those influenced by western modernity derived their inspiration in terms of techniques and subject matter from the major trends in modernist movement in arts and culture. However, our contention in this paper is that they do not go much beyond the imitation level to provide any panacea for the sociopolitical problems of their society. Nima Yushij introduced western literary modernism in Persian poetry which in turn influenced many individual writers as well as a number of indigenous movements but could not bring about any significant change in numerous socio-economic problems confronting that society. In that scenario, Iqbal's poetry remained a powerful social and ideological force that invoked many people to action and brought the message of hope and deliverance from the tyranny of the imperial world order. Iqbal rejects both the Eastern parochialism and western godless worldview. His influence on Persian poetry in this regard has been enormous.