Continental collision zones are a result of plate tectonics on the planet Earth, when moving lithospheric plates collide at convergent boundaries. This process causes enormous concentration of deformations and stresses leading to increased seismic activity and large earthquakes, which can destroy entire cities. On the other hand, the collision process may also lead to formation of large sedimentary basins bearing ore and hydrocarbon deposits. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms governing this process is crucial for human habitat. It is generally accepted that convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian plates is a subduction‐dominated process, when one plate penetrates under another along an inclined subduction zone. However, the subduction scenarios are still debatable. Here, we present a 3‐D model of the mantle to a depth of 700 km, based on a joint interpretation of various geophysical data. For the first time, we demonstrate an image of the counter‐acting subduction zones beneath Zagros in the South and beneath the East Greater Caucasus and Alborz in the North. This observation contradicts the conventional view of the northward subduction at the northern flank of the Arabia‐Eurasia plate boundary. These results have important implications for the debates concerning evolution and dynamics of continental collision zones.