The reaction of zinc(II) nitrate with 3,5-diiodosalicylic acid in the presence of 3-chloropyridine gave the heteroligand complex [(3-ClPy)(2)ZnDISA(2)] (1), which was studied by X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure of 1 includes non-covalent I center dot center dot center dot O interactions (halogen bonds), the energies of which were estimated by quantum chemical calculations.