AbstractThis study investigates the realization of apology speech act by Persian male native speakers to categorize and formulate the apology strategies employed in their interactions in various social contexts. It explores the effect of power, distance and severity of offence on the realization patterns of apology speech acts to highlight Persian males’ linguistic choice. The data was collected through the administration of a Discourse Completion Test and a questionnaire. The study reveals the availability of some of the universal apology strategies in Persian and a culture-specific apology strategy used by Persian men that is situation-dependent in relation to contextual variables.