Iran’s New Leader Plans to Relocate Capital from Tehran
President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that the issues facing Tehran are insurmountable, indicating that a new capital for Iran must be identified. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Masoud Pezeshkian has proposed that the issues afflicting Tehran cannot be effectively addressed.
The Iranian president has suggested relocating the capital from Tehran to a city nearer to the southern coast of the country. In a recent speech, Pezeshkian, who assumed office in July, expressed his belief that continued development of Tehran is futile because of the various challenges the city encounters.
He highlighted that the capital is suffering from “water shortages, land subsidence and air pollution,” among other problems, according to Javan Online. Pezeshkian remarked, "Tehran as the capital of the country is facing problems to which we have no solution,” and indicated that a viable solution would be to “relocate the political and economic center of the country.”
The president underscored that telling residents to leave Tehran would be ineffective; he argued that the government needs to lead by example, stating, “must first go ourselves so that the people would follow us.” Additionally, he pointed out economic motivations for establishing a new capital closer to the Persian Gulf, which is crucial for international trade.
Pezeshkian stated, "Further development of the country is impossible with the continuation of the current trend, when we bring the resources from the south of the country and the sea to the center, turn them into products there and send them back to the south for export.” He insisted that this situation “severely depreciates and reduces our competitiveness,” advocating for the transfer of the economic and political core of the nation to a southern location near the sea.
However, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, who was Tehran’s mayor in the 1990s, disagreed with Pezeshkian’s proposal, contending that there is no adequate alternative to Tehran. He questioned, “Where do you want to go?” in an interview with Asr Iran and cautioned that other countries that attempted to move their capitals have often faced financial losses and ended up with two troubled cities rather than one.
Tehran has been the capital of Iran since 1786 and is situated in the northern part of the country, approximately 100 km from the Caspian Sea. With a population of 9.4 million and around 17 million in its greater metropolitan area, Tehran is the largest city in Iran and Western Asia and the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East, following Cairo.
This is not the first instance of Iranian officials considering a move away from Tehran. Similar discussions occurred during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s term from 2005 to 2013, when parliament established a special council to explore alternatives for the capital. However, no conclusive decision to relocate was reached.
Pezeshkian was inaugurated as president in late July after winning the election with 53.7% of the vote against Saeed Jalili, who received 44.3%. This election followed the untimely death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Iranian president has suggested relocating the capital from Tehran to a city nearer to the southern coast of the country. In a recent speech, Pezeshkian, who assumed office in July, expressed his belief that continued development of Tehran is futile because of the various challenges the city encounters.
He highlighted that the capital is suffering from “water shortages, land subsidence and air pollution,” among other problems, according to Javan Online. Pezeshkian remarked, "Tehran as the capital of the country is facing problems to which we have no solution,” and indicated that a viable solution would be to “relocate the political and economic center of the country.”
The president underscored that telling residents to leave Tehran would be ineffective; he argued that the government needs to lead by example, stating, “must first go ourselves so that the people would follow us.” Additionally, he pointed out economic motivations for establishing a new capital closer to the Persian Gulf, which is crucial for international trade.
Pezeshkian stated, "Further development of the country is impossible with the continuation of the current trend, when we bring the resources from the south of the country and the sea to the center, turn them into products there and send them back to the south for export.” He insisted that this situation “severely depreciates and reduces our competitiveness,” advocating for the transfer of the economic and political core of the nation to a southern location near the sea.
However, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, who was Tehran’s mayor in the 1990s, disagreed with Pezeshkian’s proposal, contending that there is no adequate alternative to Tehran. He questioned, “Where do you want to go?” in an interview with Asr Iran and cautioned that other countries that attempted to move their capitals have often faced financial losses and ended up with two troubled cities rather than one.
Tehran has been the capital of Iran since 1786 and is situated in the northern part of the country, approximately 100 km from the Caspian Sea. With a population of 9.4 million and around 17 million in its greater metropolitan area, Tehran is the largest city in Iran and Western Asia and the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East, following Cairo.
This is not the first instance of Iranian officials considering a move away from Tehran. Similar discussions occurred during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s term from 2005 to 2013, when parliament established a special council to explore alternatives for the capital. However, no conclusive decision to relocate was reached.
Pezeshkian was inaugurated as president in late July after winning the election with 53.7% of the vote against Saeed Jalili, who received 44.3%. This election followed the untimely death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
