How Decades of Failed Governance Poisoned Iran’s Air

Excerpt

Iran is now confronting one of the deadliest public-health crises in its modern history, and it is not caused by war, sanctions, or natural disaster. It is caused by the air that Iranians breathe every day. According to the Deputy Minister of Health, nearly 59,000 people died prematurely from air-pollution exposure in the past year, an average of nearly 170 deaths per day. That is a staggering toll, larger than many major diseases combined, and it is rising. What makes the crisis especially alarming is not merely its scale, but the inescapable fact that it stems from decades of accumulated policy failures, deferred modernization, and the systematic neglect of environmental health.

Tehran, a metropolis of more than 10 million people, recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) readings exceeding 200 in recent weeks, placing the capital in the “very unhealthy” category for all residents. The government shuttered schools and universities, hospitals braced for an influx of respiratory emergencies, flights were disrupted by the dense haze, and citizens were urged to stay inside. The situation deteriorated to the point that the regime’s officials felt compelled to acknowledge its severity, with the vice president stating that Tehran’s pollution had reached life-threatening levels.

This is not just a Tehran problem; it is a nationwide suffocation. From Arak and Karaj to the religious center of Mashhad, the lack of air quality has become a hazard. Ahvaz and Isfahan now routinely suffer “hazardous” pollution levels that force repeated lockdowns, while Tabriz faces frequent disruptions to municipal services. No corner of the country is immune to the fallout of the state’s energy mismanagement.

Environmental researchers and experts have warned for decades that pollution levels in cities have become “unbreathable,” and hospitalizations for respiratory illness began to spike. The crisis is fueled by deliberate regime choices. The regime prioritizes export revenue, ideological projects, and military funding over upgrading its energy grid. Similarly, the domestic automotive market remains a hostage of IRGC-linked monopolies. By banning quality imports, limiting competition, and churning out obsolete, high-emission vehicles, these entities profit directly from the very smog that is choking Iranians. Millions of aging vehicles still operate on streets nationwide, many lacking even the most basic emissions controls. Fuel quality is far below global standards, with high sulfur content and significant regional variation.

Shirin Goli is an environmental engineering consultant. Mohammad Nayeb Yazdi is a water resources engineer with a local government agency in Virginia. Saeed Ghasseminejad is a senior Iran and financial economics advisor at FDD, specializing in Iran’s economy and financial markets, sanctions, and illicit finance.