Environment

Iranwire – Every year, air pollution in Tehran and other Iranian cities reaches alarming levels in winter, pushing the authorities to order the temporary closure of schools and other services. The large number of non-standard cars and gasoline used are blamed for soaring pollution, along with mazut, a low-quality heavy fuel oil burned in power plants and other factories, especially …

Iranwire- Every year, the deteriorating air quality in Tehran and other Iranian cities on the final days of December forces the authorities to order the closure of schools and other services. That’s what happened this week, when school classes were held remotely in Tehran, the southern city of Ahvaz and urban areas in the provinces of Alborz, Isfahan and Arak. …

Al-Monitor – Iran and other states along the Caspian Sea have renewed a ban on the fishing of beluga sturgeon. Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, who are parties to the Caspian Sea Aquatic Resources Convention, renewed the ban on the commercial fishing of sturgeon, the state-run Press TV reported Wednesday.  Why it matters: Sturgeon fishing has been banned in the Caspian Sea since 2011. The …

(Reuters) – The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on companies it accused of involvement in Iran’s petrochemical and petroleum trade, including five based in China, pressuring Tehran as it seeks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Washington has increasingly targeted Chinese companies over the export of Iran’s petrochemicals as the prospects of reviving the nuclear pact have dimmed. …

Al-Monitor – In the province of Khuzestan, where 74% of Iran’s oil is produced, water scarcity and poor air quality have made life increasingly untenable for the inhabitants. The region suffers from protracted water stress, compounded by dust storms and extreme heatwaves. Many of its nearly 5 million people are considering migrating to other provinces with higher standards of living. The government has not made …

Iranwire – A 19-year-old in the city of Maku in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province has been arrested by the local intelligence department for highlighting the crisis at Lake Urmia. Aydin Jafari held a small rally with fellow citizens on Saturday to call for action over the drying-up of the lake, which was once the biggest in the Middle East but has …

HRW – On September 8, the governor of Hamedan, Mohammed Ali Mohammadi, announced the arrests of 25 citizens during protests about the ongoing water crisis. Mohammadi claimed that the protests were illegal, and the fact that 20 of the arrested protesters were not from Hamedan city indicated that they were present “to incite terror.” On Tuesday, dozens of people demonstrated against the …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have confirmed the arrest of 25 people during a protest on August 24 against a cut in water supplies in the western Iranian city of Hamedan. Mohammad Ali Mohammadi, the governor of Hamedan, accused the detainees — who were attending three different demonstrations — of creating insecurity and panic among the public.Water cuts in Hamedan have led to …

IranWire – In the afternoon of Thursday, August 25, the people of Hamedan took to the streets for the third consecutive day to protest severe water shortages in the city and surrounding area. Videos of these protests received by IranWire showed an extensive deployment of riot police in response. The first two nights saw rallies held in front of the tomb of Avicenna. …

RFL/RE – Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in the western Iranian city of Hamedan to protest against a complete cut in water supplies that has lasted several days. According to videos published on social media on August 23, the protesters called officials “incompetent” as the water crisis intensified along with the summer heat.Several parts of the country have experienced …