Research on impoliteness in Persian is scarce, and to this author’s best knowledge, no study has specifically examined the role of banter in Persian discourse vis-à-vis power dynamics. To address this gap, the present study, grounded in a sociopragmatic framework—particularly Leech’s (1983) Banter Principle—investigates how power dynamics shape the use and interpretation of banter among Persian speakers. The analysis draws on data from a TV drama titled Pedar Sālār (The Patriarch), which vividly depicts traditional and patriarchal family relationships in Iran. The results of the qualitative data analysis reveal two primary types of power dynamics: power-neutral and power-imbalanced relationships. In power-neutral contexts, participants could freely reciprocate banter, while in power-imbalanced interactions, banter was unilateral and nonreciprocal. Specifically, superiors, in terms of age or family hierarchy, exercised the liberty to use impolite expressions playfully for entertainment purposes, whereas subordinates refrained from responding in kind. These patterns reflect the central role of hierarchical norms in Iranian sociolinguistic behavior. The study’s findings have significant implications for intercultural communication, particularly for non-Iranians interacting with Persian speakers. Greater awareness of these dynamics may help avoid misinterpretations, such as perceiving friendly banter as a genuine insult or misreading ritualized impoliteness as face-threatening. It is expected that this study will encourage further research on impoliteness and banter in Persian.