Masoud Pezeshkian, a prominent Iranian official, has voiced serious concerns regarding the country’s worsening water crisis, prompting him to propose relocating Iran’s capital from Tehran to a more sustainable region. He illustrated the rapid decline in precipitation and darkly warned about the catastrophic effects of flooding on our drinking water supply. Last year, at this same time, we received just 140 millimeters, 50 to 60 percent under the average norm of 260 millimeters. With this year’s circumstances proving just as dire, Pezeshkian is making the case for a strategic change of course in Iran’s political capital.
Tehran, today’s capital and now with over 10 million residents, uses up almost a fourth of the country’s water resources. The city’s explosive growth only exacerbates its crippling water crisis. In some places, land subsidence is as high as 30 centimeters per year. According to Pezeshkian, the region is at a breaking point: “In some areas, the land is subsiding by up to 30cm per year. This is a sad disaster and proves that the water under our feet is quickly disappearing.
Pezeshkian disclosed that he first suggested relocating the capital to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year. In his recently published op-ed, he stressed that the time for action is now. He stressed that Tehran’s water resources are largely from dams. While these dams have historically only supplied about 70 percent of the city’s water needs, underground sources make up the other 30. Recent estimates predict that rainfall in 2025 will dip below 100 millimeters, intensifying concerns about the sustainability of current practices.
Now the water levels behind the dams have dropped, and some of these farmers’ wells are running dry. In addition, moving water from other regions is getting more and more costly. Our approach just doesn’t work anymore,” said Pezeshkian. He stressed that transportation of seawater from the Persian Gulf might amount to costs of up to €4 per cubic meter. This illustrates the dangers of allowing Tehran to remain capital under current unsustainable conditions.
The idea of moving the capital is not just about logistical considerations. It’s about much bigger economic dreams. Pezeshkian even suggested the Hormozgan province, on Iran’s coast along the Persian Gulf, as a possible future home for Iran’s capital. This region offers direct access to open waters and could facilitate trade and economic development if properly utilized. He continued saying, “We can develop a remarkably innovative and affluent region. It begins first with a new perception of its potentials.”