No men allowed!

That's the sign Iran hopes to post on a new island paradise it hopes to create for female tourists only, according to a report in a Tehran newspaper.

"The island of Arezou, one of the 102 islands in the Oroumiyeh Lake, will be equipped especially for women," a municipal official in the West Azerbaijan province, identified only as Aghai, was quoted as saying by the Tehran Emrouz newspaper.

All public transportation, restaurants and facilities on the island will be staffed only by women, officials said. Oroumiyeh Lake is located near the nation's border with Turkey.

"There will be no men on the island," the official said. "It will also boost tourism in the area."

"The construction of hotels, small restaurants and medical centres under the management of women is one of the specifications for this island, which is the first such in the country," Aghai said.

The initiative reportedly has even been cleared by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's provincial representative, who declared that a women-only island is not against Islamic sharia law, the official said.

Iran's Islamic codes strictly prohibit exposure of unveiled women to men.

Iran has partitioned parts of its southern and northern beaches as women-only zones where women can legally remove their headscarves and overcoats in freedom.

In some cities, there also are special "women parks".