Tehran’s Toxic Air Exposes the Islamic Republic’s Failures

Official data from the Tehran Air Quality Control Company reported a 24-hour average of 176—unhealthy for everyone—with only a fleeting dip into a moderate range. Data from the World Air Quality Monitoring System shows that on Wednesday, November 26, with an index of around 233, Tehran became the most polluted major city in the world for several hours.

These are not isolated incidents. Since the start of the year, Tehran has enjoyed only six days of clean air. The remaining days fall overwhelmingly into polluted and dangerous categories:  

• 106 days unhealthy for sensitive groups

• 12 days unhealthy for everyone

• 2 days very unhealthy

• 2 days hazardous

The situation is not only visible in the sky—it’s also deadly. According to experts at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 54,000 people in Iran died in one year due to air-pollution-related causes. 

This crisis does not end with the air. Tehran, like many cities across the country, is enduring acute water shortages, with daily supply cuts now routine. Iranians are thus forced to live under the combined burden of unsafe water and toxic air—two fundamental rights undermined at once. Yet the authorities continue to deflect responsibility and deny deeper structural failures.

Let there be no doubt: this environmental disaster is a direct consequence of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s mismanagement, corruption, and disregard for public welfare. It is the people who suffer, while those in power remain unaccountable.

Shirin Ebadi was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote human rights, particularly the rights of women, children, and political prisoners in Iran. She is the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and only the fifth Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in any field. She is also one of our eight Nobel Peace laureate at Nobel Women's Initiative.