By Pishtaz | 2025-05-29

A series of massive dust storms has crippled the Islamic Republic this year, forcing schools and government offices to close and triggering warnings of dangerous air quality.

The latest storm, which swept in from Iraq in early May, reflects an intensifying pattern driven by multiple factors, including severe drought, diminishing vegetation and mismanagement, according to environmental experts.

Dust storms threaten public health, agricultural output and ecological stability.

They are a regional problem that requires a regional solution, experts say.

Dust from Iraq’s deserts, especially areas affected by drought and desertification around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is the source of at least half of Iran's fine dust, according to Iran News Update.

Seasonal spring winds carry this dust into Iran’s western provinces.

Dry areas of eastern Syria and northern Saudi Arabia also contribute to the crisis, with dam construction, drought, excessive exploitation of underground water resources and unsustainable agriculture also to blame.

The early May storm triggered an orange weather alert across 13 Iranian provinces, Iran Front Page reported May 14.

"The Iranian Meteorological Organization reported a sharp decline in horizontal visibility and a rise in pollution levels, prompting emergency measures in several provinces," it said.

In East Azarbaijan province, the air quality index reached 450, which is categorized as "hazardous."

In West Azarbaijan, Kordestan, Zanjan and Khuzestan provinces, cities have recorded dangerous levels of particulate matter exceeding international safety thresholds.

Impact on public health

Regional health authorities and academic studies report increased respiratory issues during dust storms, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

A mid-April dust storm in Khuzestan province sent 800 patients to hospitals with heart and respiratory conditions, according to Meisam Moazi, deputy of treatment at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.

PM10 pollutant levels reached 67 times the permissible limit in Ahvaz and Hamidiyeh, Moazi said.

While dust storms naturally occur in arid and semi-arid regions, their increased frequency now demands enhanced monitoring and adaptation, according to environmental experts.

Air pollution causes approximately 50,000 deaths annually in the Islamic Republic, costing between $12 billion and $20 billion, Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi said in December.

Dust storms also have damaged agriculture, livestock and infrastructure, including power systems, as documented by various studies and reports.

The challenge has spurred regional collaboration, with help from international organizations such as the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).

Initiatives have seen Tehran and Baghdad working to address the origins and movement of dust storms through water management and wetland recovery initiatives.