Iran’s Long-Term Environmental Crisis

Iran is mired in a protracted environmental crisis, with cities like Tehran, Arak, and Isfahan experiencing fewer than five days of clean air annually. The reliance on heavy fuel oil for winter heating further exacerbates air pollution, contributing to nearly 30,000 deaths each year. Additionally, wetlands in western and southern Iran continue to dry up, becoming major sources of regional dust storms that intensify local air pollution and ecological degradation.