Smog Crisis Triggers Calls for Shutdowns in Iran as Tehran’s Air Quality Hits Red Alert

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A suffocating blanket of smog has descended upon Tehran and several other major industrial metropolises across Iran, triggering a "Red Alert" and prompting health officials to urgently recommend the closure of schools and government offices. The crisis, driven by a severe accumulation of atmospheric pollutants, has forced the country’s Meteorological Organization to issue grave warnings regarding the stability of the atmosphere, signaling that the hazardous air quality will persist and likely intensify until the middle of this week.

As millions of residents struggle to breathe air that is officially deemed unhealthy for all groups, the situation has reignited a fierce national debate over public health safety and the government's management of chronic environmental challenges.

Air quality measurement indices across the Islamic Republic have once again sounded the alarm for public health, painting a grim picture of the environmental reality facing the nation's urban centers.

According to the latest comprehensive reports received from monitoring stations and cited by the Tehran Air Quality Control Company, the air in the capital city of Tehran has breached critical thresholds, entering a "red condition" which signifies that the atmosphere is unhealthy for the entire population, not just those with pre-existing conditions.

The crisis is not confined to the capital; the metropolises of Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Ahvaz, and Mashhad are simultaneously grappling with "orange" conditions, rendering the air unsafe for sensitive groups, including the elderly, children, and those with respiratory ailments.

The Tehran Air Quality Control Company has publicly announced that the average concentration of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns—fine particles capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream—has significantly exceeded permissible limits.

Corroborating this data, meteorological forecast maps analyzed by state agencies indicate that this hazardous situation is set to intensify in the coming days, driven by a weather phenomenon known as temperature inversion.

On Sunday, November 23, 2025 (Azar 2), the country's Meteorological Organization issued a formal notice warning of a significant and dangerous increase in the concentration of atmospheric pollutants. The organization detailed that the relative stillness of the atmosphere, combined with a distinct lack of effective wind currents, has created a stagnant dome over the cities, causing toxic emissions to be trapped in the lower layers of the atmosphere rather than dispersing.

This phenomenon of temperature inversion, common in the cold seasons, acts as a lid, sealing pollution from mobile sources such as cars and motorcycles, as well as stationary sources like power plants and heavy industries, close to the ground where the population lives and breathes.

The forecast provided by the Meteorological Organization outlines a deteriorating timeline for the week. On Sunday, the pollution gripped Tehran, Karaj, Arak, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz, Urmia, and Ahvaz.

By Monday, November 24, the pollution is expected to continue unabated in these cities.

By Tuesday, November 25, conditions are projected to remain unhealthy in Tehran, Karaj, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Ahvaz. The crisis is expected to stretch into Wednesday, November 26, with a continuation of critical conditions in Tehran, Karaj, Arak, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Ahvaz. Beyond these industrial hubs, field reports have indicated a decrease in air quality and dusty skies in cities such as Hamedan and Ardabil, though the intensity there is reported to be lower than in the primary industrial centers.

In response to the escalating emergency, the Ministry of Health has taken a proactive stance, formally requesting an urgent intervention.

As reported by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the head of the Ministry of Health's Center for Environmental and Occupational Health, Engineer Mohsen Farhadi, announced a request for an immediate meeting of the Tehran Air Pollution Emergency Task Force. Farhadi cited the alarming rise in Tehran's air pollutants, noting that the Meteorological Organization’s warnings about atmospheric stability necessitated swift government action to protect public health.

Farhadi revealed to ISNA that the Ministry of Health had initially flagged the danger on Friday, November 21 (Aban 30), when the main pollutant index for PM 2.5 exceeded the 140 mark. An emergency meeting was convened that same Friday night, involving the Department of Environment and the Tehran Governor's Office.

Farhadi noted that while almost all of the Ministry’s requests were approved during that initial session, the crucial proposal for the closure of schools was not adopted at that time. Addressing rumors circulating in cyberspace, Farhadi clarified that reports suggesting there was no need for further emergency meetings were incorrect and a misinterpretation of his previous statements.

The urgency has only grown since Friday. Farhadi confirmed that from Saturday night into Sunday, the amount of air pollutants in the past 24 hours had surged past the 157 mark. Predictive models suggest that due to the unyielding stability of the air, this number will likely exceed 160 before the week concludes, although the current average from monitoring stations in Tehran province stands at 154.

Consequently, a new request was sent to the Tehran Governor's Office to reconvene the Air Pollution Emergency Task Force immediately. Farhadi emphasized that the Ministry of Health’s current proposal includes transitioning schools, universities, and government agencies to remote work and learning for the duration of the week. He stressed that while these are the Ministry's strong recommendations, the final implementation depends on the decisions made by the Task Force.

The Fars News Agency reported that the Tehran Emergency Task Force is likely holding this urgent meeting today, Sunday, to review all possible containment options. This meeting comes amidst a backdrop of increasing public criticism and protests regarding the non-closure of schools and offices over the past few days, as citizens express frustration over being forced to commute in hazardous conditions.

The Fars News Agency noted that Tehran's air quality index has hovered in the unhealthy range for three consecutive days, approaching "very unhealthy" status in specific districts. The Task Force is expected to review a spectrum of drastic measures, ranging from closing schools and imposing severe traffic restrictions to shutting down polluting industrial units and potentially closing government offices entirely.

Medical professionals and environmental activists have issued stark warnings alongside the data, highlighting that the continuation of such high levels of pollution poses serious consequences for vulnerable populations, particularly children, the elderly, and patients with pre-existing heart and respiratory diseases.

Hamidreza Khorshidi, the Director-General of Meteorology for Tehran province, reinforced these concerns, announcing to the Fars News Agency that the pollution is not going to dissipate naturally. He confirmed that the concentration of pollutants will increase until the end of the week due to the relative stillness of the air and atmospheric stability, particularly in high-traffic urban areas.

The scope of the crisis was further illuminated by reports from the IRIB News Agency, which highlighted that the pollution is not uniform but is reaching catastrophic levels in certain pockets of the country.

According to the country's air quality monitoring system, the air pollution index in Baqershahr, Bonab, and Hoveyzeh—located in the provinces of Tehran, East Azerbaijan, and Khuzestan, respectively—has exceeded the 200 mark. An index above 200 is classified as "very unhealthy" or purple status, a level at which the entire population is likely to be affected by serious health effects.

IRIB further detailed that while Tabriz, Tehran, Karaj, and Ahvaz are in the "red" state (unhealthy for all), cities like Urmia, Isfahan, Mashhad, Qazvin, and Markazi are currently in the "orange" state (unhealthy for sensitive groups).

The Meteorological Organization has predicted that if the current atmospheric stagnation continues without effective wind flow, the pollution index in these areas will also approach dangerous thresholds over the next three days. An orange level warning remains in effect today for Tehran, Karaj, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Urmia, and Ahvaz.

This recurring environmental nightmare has become a chronic challenge for Iran, particularly in the second half of the year. The combination of temperature inversions, a heavy reliance on private vehicles and motorcycles, and the emissions from stationary industrial sources creates a toxic cocktail that lingers over the cities.

Environmental experts have repeatedly emphasized to various news outlets that short-term fixes like closures are insufficient, calling instead for the strict implementation of the Clean Air Act and a comprehensive renewal of the public transportation fleet to address the root causes of the crisis. As the government deliberates on closures for the coming week, millions of Iranians remain indoors, waiting for the weather—and the policies—to change.