Tehran Is On The Verge Of Exhaustion

Iran's president has called for the capital to be moved.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that due to a critical water crisis and land subsidence, the country is forced to consider moving the capital from Tehran to southern regions.

The Guardian reports The Guardian.

While speaking in Hormozgan province, which is located on the Persian Gulf coast, Masoud Pezeshkian explained that urban over-sprawl, water shortages and rapid land subsidence are creating a dangerous situation for the 10-million-strong metropolis, which consumes about 25% of the country's water resources.

"The problems currently facing the country require us to direct the path of development toward the Persian Gulf. Tehran, Karaj and Qazvin are facing a water crisis and it cannot be solved easily," Pezeshkian noted.

The president revealed that he raised the issue of moving the capital to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as early as last year. Despite criticism at the time, he is now convinced that the resource situation has become so acute that moving the capital is inevitable.

Tehran is a city that is "drying up"

Tehran's water supply has traditionally been based on dams (70% of reserves) and groundwater (30%). However, the city has grown at an extremely rapid rate and has now become a metropolis of over 10 million people.

Now decreasing precipitation, increasing evaporation and depleting aquifers have caused shortages and dangerous land subsidence.

Pezeshkiyan said in some areas the soil is subsiding up to 30 centimeters a year, which he called a "catastrophe".

"The land is subsiding because the water under our feet is disappearing. This is a destruction we cannot ignore," he said.

Critical Water Situation

Official figures show that in 2024, Iran's rainfall in 2024 will be just 140 mm compared to the norm of 260 mm - a 50-60% drop. In 2025, the situation is expected to be even worse - about 100 mm of precipitation.

Dwindling water in reservoirs, drying up of wells and high costs of transporting water from other regions make centralized supply to Tehran increasingly difficult.

"If you transport water from this area to Tehran, the cost per cubic meter can reach 4 euros," the president noted.

Iran's new capital is near the Persian Gulf

Masoud Pezeshkian noted the strategic advantages of the southern regions, particularly Hormozgan. Its location near the sea provides access to open waters, trade and economic ties.

"We can create a very prosperous region if we look at these opportunities in a new way. It is not enough to just accept the current situation - we need a scientific, precise and long-term strategy," he emphasized.

By the way, the issue of relocating Iran's capital has been raised before. Former President Hassan Rouhani even developed several action plans, but they were not implemented.

Reminder, the German Foreign Ministry said that the UN will return sanctions against Iran. The reason was the failure of negotiations on the nuclear deal between European countries and Tehran.

This comes months after Israel and the US launched airstrikes on Iran targeting infrastructure, including key Iranian nuclear facilities.

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