Officials of the Iranian regime state that 60% of the air pollution in Iran, which kills 25,000 people annually, is caused by motorized transportation. Could the main cause of air pollution be the non-implementation of the Clean Air Act, the role of car manufacturers, the failure to scrap aging vehicles, or “petrochemical gasoline”?
According to statistics, since 2016, the capital has had clean air only 15% of the year, with residents breathing polluted air almost six days a week.
The annual death toll attributed to air pollution nationwide is reported to be between 20,000 to 30,000, with 7,000 in Tehran alone.
The annual financial damage caused by air pollution in Iran is estimated at $12 billion. The Iranian regime is facing an environmental crisis, of which air pollution is only a part.
Most major cities suffer from dust storms in the first half of the year and “temperature inversion” as the weather cools in the second half.
While the government prioritized passing and enforcing the so-called “Chastity and Hijab” law earlier this year, the Clean Air Act, passed in 2017, has been sidelined for nearly seven years.
The Role of Aging Public Transportation and Car Manufacturers
Alireza Raisi, the Deputy Minister of Health of the Iranian regime, stated on December 9 that 60% of the country’s air pollution is related to the motorized transportation system.
According to Raisi, 11 million out of 12 million motorcycles and 2.5 million out of 14 million vehicles in the country are aging.
Non-aging vehicles in the country are mainly produced by Iran Khodro and SAIPA, the duopoly car manufacturers. According to Ruhollah Lak Aliabadi, a Majlis (parliament) member from Doroud, “They care neither for people’s lives, the environment, nor air pollution.”
Although officials and some media outlets are discussing the share of vehicles in causing air pollution, coinciding with rumors of fuel price increases, it seems that the environmental mega-crisis in Iran cannot be solely attributed to transportation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when transportation in cities decreased unprecedentedly due to travel restrictions, air pollution persisted. The other side of this crisis lies with power plants and industries.
On December 10, the state-run Sazandegi newspaper highlighted the roles of sanctions and the “policy of keeping gasoline prices low” as factors contributing to Tehran’s air pollution.
In May 2024, before the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the government invested $3 billion in producing a type of naphtha known as “petrochemical gasoline.” This product is much cheaper than real gasoline but also significantly more polluting.
