Iran’s Air Pollution Emergency: Rising Deaths, Red-Level Alerts, and Escalating Governance Failures
Iran’s severe air pollution crisis, which began intensifying last week, has now entered a dangerous new phase as Tehran and multiple major cities continue to experience red-level, unhealthy air.
Iran’s severe air pollution crisis, which began intensifying last week, has now entered a dangerous new phase as Tehran and multiple major cities continue to experience red-level, unhealthy-for-all air for the tenth consecutive day. The persistence of this toxic smog indicates that the country’s chronic environmental challenges are deepening, with new data revealing not only the scale of the atmospheric emergency but also the growing human cost and governance failures behind it.
On Monday, Tehran Air Quality Control Company announced that the capital remains in the red zone for the tenth day in a row, marking one of the longest continuous periods of dangerous air in recent years. With only six clean-air days recorded since the beginning of the year, Tehran’s residents are now facing sustained exposure to hazardous levels of pollution. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani described this situation as “indefensible”, stating that “what citizens breathe in Iran’s major cities today can in no way be called clean air.” Her unusually candid comment reflects an implicit acknowledgment that the environmental crisis has surpassed the government’s existing capacity to manage it.
The health impact is rising sharply. According to the head of Tehran’s Emergency Medical Services, 31% of all EMS missions during the first eight days of Azar were related to pollution-induced health problems, representing a 9% increase compared to the previous month. He also confirmed 357 deaths in this period, emphasizing that air pollution may have contributed to the loss of these individuals. These short-term indicators mirror national mortality figures: the Ministry of Health reports that 58,975 Iranians died in 1403 (2024–2025) due to exposure to fine particulate pollution, equivalent to 161 deaths per day—nearly seven deaths every hour.
The emergency is not limited to the capital. 11 cities in Khuzestan Province reported air quality levels unhealthy for all groups, while Tabriz registered air unsafe for sensitive populations. These simultaneous alerts underscore the widening national scale of the crisis. Remote schooling and work-from-home directives remain in place across many regions, extending the closures that began last week. In Tehran, online instruction has been extended for an additional 48 hours, while public institutions continue operating at reduced capacity. Heavy trucks remain banned from entering the metropolitan area, and hospitals report a 15% rise in respiratory cases and a 3% increase in cardiac complications.
Meteorological projections indicate that atmospheric stagnation will continue, trapping pollutants over urban basins. The National Meteorological Organization has issued ongoing warnings for Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Urmia, Yazd, Ahvaz, Qazvin, and Semnan, with no effective rain expected to disperse pollutants. While such weather conditions contribute to the severity of smog, experts emphasize that deeper structural issues are driving the crisis: the burning of highly polluting fuels such as mazut, millions of carbureted motorcycles, outdated vehicle fleets, inefficient refineries, and unchecked industrial emissions.
These failures persist despite the Clean Air Act of 2017, which obligates ministries and public institutions—including the Ministries of Interior, Oil, Energy, Industry, and national broadcasting—to cooperate on emission reductions. Yet most provisions of the law remain unimplemented, and environmental critics argue that responsible agencies have shown minimal progress on modernizing fuel quality, reducing industrial pollution, strengthening public transport, or enforcing emissions standards. The continued reliance on mazut, one of the dirtiest fuels in the world, is especially alarming. Although officials have promised to reduce its use, energy shortages and fear of winter blackouts have pushed power plants to burn mazut at scale, contributing directly to the toxic winter air.
Public frustration has deepened following contradictory official responses. While some government figures acknowledge the severity of the crisis, others have offered symbolic or non-technical remedies. In a recent message, Iran’s Supreme Leader urged citizens to “turn to God for rain, security, and well-being”, a statement that many critics argue does little to address the structural forces behind the crisis. Environmental analysts say that such appeals, combined with promises of electric vehicles and temporary school closures, reflect a government more focused on short-term management than meaningful reform.
The worsening pollution is also intertwined with Iran’s intensifying drought and water scarcity, particularly in Tehran. Low rainfall has left reservoirs dangerously depleted, limiting natural atmospheric cleansing. Reduced hydropower output forces greater reliance on thermal power plants, which in turn burn mazut, reinforcing the pollution cycle. Simultaneously, dry soils, desiccated wetlands, and parched farmland generate massive dust emissions, contributing to particulate pollution even in cities far from dust-storm sources. As a result, winter smog is now part of a broader environmental degradation that includes water insecurity, energy instability, and climate-driven extremes.
The crisis unfolding this week—coming immediately after the nationwide disruptions of last week—shows that Iran is no longer experiencing isolated pollution spikes, but a persistent environmental emergency with serious implications for public health, economic productivity, and long-term urban viability. With ten consecutive days of red-level air, widely reported increases in respiratory and cardiac emergencies, and nearly 59,000 pollution-related deaths in the past year, the scale of the threat is becoming unmistakable.
Short-term measures such as school closures, remote work, and traffic restrictions may reduce immediate exposure but cannot solve the underlying drivers of the crisis. Without decisive structural reforms—including a complete end to mazut burning, modernization of transportation systems, refinery upgrades, strict industrial oversight, and robust implementation of the Clean Air Act—Iran’s skies will remain toxic, its cities will continue shutting down each winter, and thousands more lives will be shortened by preventable pollution.