خوبم

Iranians reply خوبم even when they aren't, the way English speakers say "fine." The follow-up شما خوبید؟ (shomâ khubid?) is near-mandatory politeness, not real curiosity. Skipping it sounds curt. Adding مرسی or ممنون before khubam softens the whole exchange. In a long-time friend's call, خوبم gets stretched to خوبممم and then real news follows.