Health tourism is a sector of the tourism industry known as one of the leading industries in the world, attracting more than 800 million people every year. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the global turnover of the industry was $2.4 trillion in 2017, factors such negative global image have substantially reduced the chance that people will choose Iran as a health tourism destination. This negative image is primarily due to the actions of the Iranian authorities. Accordingly, the author of this study sought to analyze how a negative global image could affect the expansion of the health tourism economy in Iran. This descriptive-analytical study used the desk research method for collecting the necessary data from reputable domestic and international organizations on the key factors that have created a negative image of Iran in the eyes of health tourists including human rights violations, violation of international conventions on protecting diplomatic personnel and premises, violation of dual citizens’ rights, and improper management of domestic crises. Hence, the author statistically compared Iran with countries operating in health tourism and being less affected by those factors. In conclusion, these factors had significant negative effects on health tourists’ mentality towards Iran and considerably reduced their sense of security, thereby decreasing their willingness to choose Iran as a health tourism destination.