By Fariba Raad | 2025-03-10

Islamic Republic officials recently revived discussions about moving the country's capital in light of Tehran's worsening problems, which include severe air pollution, water shortages, traffic gridlock and land subsidence.

The relocation proposal, estimated to cost $100 billion, comes as the country is mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, with thousands of unfinished development projects and critical infrastructure needs unmet.

While officials frame the move as a solution to Tehran's environmental challenges, experts say it exemplifies the regime's tendency to propose grandiose projects rather than address fundamental problems.

"Government officials talk about this whenever they have nothing else to keep the public entertained. We know, and they know, that it will never happen," Tehran property developer Hussein Hekmati told Pishtaz.

Underscoring this skepticism, Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh admitted on March 2 her ministry's funds were "zero," with no budget for new projects.

The country currently has 70,000 unfinished development projects, some stalled for two decades, according to Radio Farda.

Despite holding the world's second-largest proven natural gas reserves, Iran's economy struggles under the weight of government corruption and incompetence.

The proposed move to Makran, an arid region facing climate challenges, would require massive infrastructure development that the nearly bankrupt government cannot afford.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have promoted the relocation as vital for the country's future, many oppose the plan, citing Tehran's historic significance and strategic location, according to AFP.

Makran's position on the Gulf of Oman makes it vulnerable to security threats, urban planning experts told Pishtaz.

Toxic capital

In Tehran, air quality routinely reaches dangerous levels, with Health Ministry data indicating air pollution kills about 7,000 residents of the city each year, out of a countrywide total of around 50,000.

Rather than address environmental concerns, the regime has removed pollution-fighting subsidies while increasing military spending.

"The regime intends to shift blame and hide behind climate change, sandstorms, lack of wind or neighboring countries' infrastructure projects," according to environmentalist Kambiz Massoudi.

"Although each of these is a reason for air pollution, each could be remedied to an extent," he said.

Moving millions to Makran would create new problems in a region where harsh climate and water scarcity already affect 2.8 million residents.

Any new capital would require costly desalination plants to support an incoming population of over 10 million.

The exodus would devastate Tehran's economy while overwhelming Makran's communities, potentially turning the 200-year-old capital into a ghost town, urban planning experts told Pishtaz.

"Government officials are in survival mode and can't even meet the basic needs of the country. How could they undertake such a massive project?" Hekmati said.

"If they were smart, they would use even a fraction of that money to address Tehran's current problems."