Iran has announced to move of its capital from its largest city of Tehran in the north to the southern coastal region of Makran. The decision to shift the over 200-year-old capital is motivated by a few factors.
Iran has announced to move of its capital from its largest city of Tehran in the north to the southern coastal region of Makran. The decision to shift the over 200-year-old capital is motivated by a few factors.
According to the Iranian media, the Islamic nation is facing various economic and environmental issues in Tehran. The shift in the capital is aimed at bypassing Tehran's increasing overpopulation, power shortage, and water scarcity.
Iran's spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani claimed that the country is facing growing ecological pressures. She said two councils have been created to examine the feasibility of the plan and build a "sea-based economy" in Makran.
"We are seeking assistance from academics, elites and experts, including engineers, sociologists and economists," Mohajerani said. However, she explained that the move is still in its exploratory phase and will not happen urgently.
However, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has reportedly said that the move of the capital is a "priority for the current Iranian government".
Despite the emphasis of the officials, that the shift will bring economic advantages, critics are opposing the decision saying it will require enormous financial and logistical demands.
Critics, including Iranian conservative journalist Ali Gholhaki, slammed the plan as he wrote on the social media platform X, "Rebuilding Azadi Stadium takes 18 months and costs 19 trillion rials ($23.75 million); how much time and money does relocating the capital required? Think over a century and hundreds of billions of dollars!"
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last week advocated the move of shifting capital saying that Tehran's financial resources and expenditures as unsustainable.
Makran has 1,000 kilometres of coastline and the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone being developed since 2003. That makes the city crucial for making it an international trade corridor connecting Central Asia to the Indian Ocean.
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