Background Previous studies have shown that cultural context has an influence on emotion and cognition. In this study the emotional response to international affective picture system (IAPS) was compared between Iranians and normative ratings of Americans young adults. Method One hundred and thirty eight Iranian university students (85 women, 48 men) age 18 to 52 (average= 31, SD = 7.76) enrolled in the study. Participants’ emotional response to IAPS images were rated in three dimensions (valence, arousal, dominance) using self-assessment Manikin (SAM) system. Then, valence, arousal, dominance scores were compared to those of 100 American undergraduates (50 females, 50 males) of the same age group, enrolled at Florida university and surveyed by Prof. PJ Lang in 2008. Result Our results indicate that there is complete correlation between the mean ratings of valence, arousal and dominance between Iranian and American participants. Also the results showed similarities in valence ratings, but arousal ratings especially in female participants were different. The relationship between arousal and valence showed a similar boomerang shaped distribution seen with the North American sample. Iranian sample showed positively offset and negative bias comparable to the American counterparts. Conclusion The results are promising in the sense that IAPS images can be used in studies within Iranian cultural context. However, arousal values require a modification for their proper application in Iranian cultural context. Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.