Iran’s air pollution crisis has reached alarming levels, with the death toll due to pollution rising to 30,000 in 2023 alone, according to Somayeh Rafiei, head of the Environment Committee of the Iranian Parliament’s Agricultural Commission. This number marks a sharp increase from the 24,000 deaths recorded in 2022, a clear indication of the government’s failure to effectively implement the Clean Air Law.
Rafiei criticized the government for only executing 12% of the law’s provisions since its approval seven years ago. Out of 228 legal mandates included in the Clean Air Law, only 28 have been fully implemented, while 138 were partially enforced and 62 remain completely neglected. Despite the escalating health crisis, the authorities have shown no concrete commitment to tackling air pollution, with Rafiei stating, “The responsible institutions have no serious intention of enforcing the law, and the Environmental Protection Organization has failed to hold these entities accountable.”
The financial toll of air pollution is equally staggering, with economic losses in 2023 exceeding 597 trillion tomans (approximately USD 9.5 billion). This sharp financial impact adds pressure on the relevant agencies, particularly those in charge of environmental and public health protection, to take urgent action.
#Iran News in Brief
According to meteorological data, intense #airpollution will persist in the major cities of Iran for at least the next 3 days. Reports indicate that certain areas of Tehran experienced a critical “purple” crisis on January 2.https://t.co/SDwCPmoIAy pic.twitter.com/Hx75ptquoV— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 2, 2024
In the face of mounting deaths and rising public outrage, the regime has been deliberately delaying the enforcement of critical air quality regulations. Rafiei herself, despite being part of the establishment, admitted how the government routinely bypasses the law through contradictory decrees and by granting endless extensions to the very agencies tasked with addressing the crisis. These deliberate delays have turned the Clean Air Law into an empty promise—a law in name only, with no real impact on the ground.
Parliament’s recent call for government agencies to report on their progress within a month is yet another hollow gesture in a regime that thrives on corruption and inaction. Rafiei’s threat of referring non-compliant agencies to the judiciary rings hollow, as the very judicial system she refers to is complicit in the regime’s disregard for human lives and environmental destruction.
Air pollution has ravaged cities across the country, from Tehran to Isfahan and Mashhad, where residents breathe in toxic air while the regime’s authorities turn a blind eye. Hospitals are overwhelmed with cases of respiratory diseases, and thousands face premature death due to polluted air. Yet the regime continues to fuel this catastrophe by allowing industries to burn low-quality fuel and ignoring the lack of basic environmental protections for major industrial plants.
Every breath matters. #Iran's #AirPollution crisis is endangering lives and harming our environment. 2/https://t.co/3tHxNjULWp
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 5, 2023
Even the so-called Parliament’s Environment Committee, now raising concerns about climate change, is nothing more than another extension of the regime’s power struggles. Their demands for reports from ministries are a farce, intended to deflect blame and pacify the public, while real action remains a distant dream. These officials, like the rest of the regime, are engaged in a battle for influence rather than genuinely addressing the plight of the people.
As the crisis worsens, the regime continues to ignore the deadly consequences of its mismanagement. With no real action in sight, both human and economic costs will inevitably rise, deepening the misery of millions who are left to suffer under the regime’s oppressive and negligent rule.