Iran International
Iran's presidential administration has proposed the remote and underdeveloped Makran region in southeastern Iran as a potential site for the country’s new capital, igniting widespread debate and controversy.
“The new capital will definitely be in the south, in the Makran region, and this matter is currently being worked on,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, however, President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Executive Deputy Jafar Ghaempanah told reporters that moving the capital to Makran was “only an idea,” adding that no timeline has been established for such a move.
Officials of the Pezeshkian government are the first to publicly propose the Makran region as a viable candidate for relocating the country’s political and administrative center.
The Makran region
Makran is a vast historical and geographical region rather than an official administrative division. It spans a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) coastal strip from southeastern Iran to south-east Pakistan. In Iran, Makran’s coastline lies along the Gulf of Oman, while the Pakistani portion extends along the Arabian Sea.
The Iranian part of Makran constitutes approximately one-fourth of the historical region and is primarily situated within Sistan and Baluchestan Province—Iran's largest but least developed and sparsely populated province. This coastline features several small ports, including Gwatar, Jask, and Sirik. The largest port, Chabahar, is one of Iran’s nine Free Trade-Industrial Zones.
Why relocate the capital?
Iran has been considering relocating its capital, Tehran, for over three decades due to various environmental and safety concerns. Among these are severe water shortages and pollution that threaten Tehran’s sustainability.
The most pressing issue, however, is Tehran's vulnerability to earthquakes. The city sits atop two major seismic fault lines, making it highly susceptible to devastating quakes that could obliterate Iran’s political, administrative, and economic hub in seconds.
In May 2015, the Iranian parliament passed a law tasking the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development with conducting studies to propose short-, mid-, and long-term plans for relocating the capital from Tehran. These studies were to be completed within two years but remain unfinished.
Past proposals for a new capital
In the past three decades, several cities including Shiraz, Esfahan, Hamedan, Semnan, the New City of Pardis in the south of Tehran, Bandar Abbas Port on the Persian Gulf, and Kashan have been proposed as suitable candidates for the future seat of government.
The current government, under President Masoud Pezeshkian, is the first to publicly propose the Makran region as a viable alternative. However, many Iranians reacting to the proposal expressed deep skepticism on social media. One major challenge is that the region is arid, and only expensive desalination of sea water can support the establishment of large city.
What makes Makran a potential candidate?
The Makran region offers potential as a site for Iran’s new capital due to certain geographical and economic advantages including the availability of abundant water resources and direct access to the Indian Ocean from beyond the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz through the Gulf of Oman (also called the Makran Sea).
Chabahar, Iran's only oceanic port on the shores of Makran, can provide a direct transit link to the markets of Afghanistan and Central Asia. Chabahar Free Economic Zone currently has two separate ports (Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari) with a combined capacity of handling several million tons of cargo a year.
The port city can provide India, and other countries, with an alternative to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Pakistan’s Gwadar which lies only about 170 kilometers west of Chabahar.
In May 2013, Iran and India signed an agreement for the development of the Chabahar Port. By 2016, India had pledged $2b of investment to link Chabahar to Central Asia and Afghanistan by rail.
The agreement was part of a trilateral arrangement involving Iran, India, and Afghanistan to establish a trade and transport corridor linking the three countries, bypassing Pakistan.
In the past few years, the project’s implementation has faced delays due to US sanctions which have severely impacted Iran’s economy. Despite these challenges, the US granted limited exemptions in November 2018, allowing specific activities through Chabahar to support Afghanistan's reconstruction and the transit of humanitarian aid.
However, Makran's proximity to open waters and the Pakistan border presents its own security challenges. Unlike Tehran, which is centrally located, hundreds of kilometers from borders and the threat of invasion, Makran could be exposed to seaborne threats and potential risks from the Pakistani military.
Relocating the capital to such an underdeveloped region amid Iran's current economic crisis is also widely seen as an unattainable goal. The project would require tens of billions of dollars—funds that the country simply does not have for such an ambitious undertaking.
In an unprecedented report on Thursday, Tehran’s Reformist daily Etemad questioned Pezeshkian and his team's effectiveness, telling him, "Iranian and foreign politicians have not taken you seriously."
As hardliners in the Iranian parliament push to impeach four ministers, Tehran’s press has also highlighted that some opposition to Pezeshkian also stems from within his own government and support base.
Iran's economic conditions have significantly worsened in the five months since the new president took office, driven largely by major regional setbacks that triggered a 33% decline in the national currency's value.
Despite ongoing criticism of the government’s efficiency, the President and his aides participated in a “national reconciliation” conference on Thursday morning. However all 44 photos published by the state-owned news agency ISNA exclusively feature Reformist participants, with no representation from other factions within the Islamic Republic’s political spectrum.
President Pezeshkian has promoted the concept of Vefaq-e Melli (national reconciliation) as an olive branch to hardliners who dominate the parliament and many state-backed organizations. Yet, these same hardliners have recently intensified their campaign against him, even though he has already appointed several of them to key positions.
According to multiple media reports, including those from the moderate Khabar Online website, critics across the Iranian media spectrum argue that "The concept of national reconciliation has achieved little beyond awarding most key government positions to the President's political rivals, without securing their commitment to follow his policies or refrain from advancing ultraconservative agendas."
In another report on the same website, columnist Nilufar Molaei highlighted the growing criticism from various circles, noting, "Those who previously supported former President Ebrahim Raisi have now joined the ranks of Pezeshkian's critics." Molaei was referring to members of the ultraconservative Paydari Party, which formed the backbone of the Raisi administration.
She explained that hardliners are frustrated with the president's efforts to improve Iranians' access to social media, his decision to halt the enforcement of legislation targeting women who defy the compulsory hijab, and the possibility of negotiations between Iran and the United States.
Highlighting the opposition from hardliner Friday Prayer leaders in cities such as Mashhad, Karaj, Qazvin, Isfahan and others, Molaei also noted that some criticism of the Pezeshkian administration originates from within his own government.
This observation was echoed by ultraconservative lawmaker and a member of the Paydari Party, who remarked that even some individuals pushing for the impeachment of four of Pezeshkian's ministers are staunch supporters of the president and affiliated with reformist parties.
Meanwhile, the reformist daily Etemad, in a commentary directed at the President, urged, "Being a good President is not enough; you must also stand firm on your positions." The publication warned that "both Iranian and foreign politicians do not take you seriously."
Etemad further observed, "Whether Pezeshkian realizes it or not, he now occupies a pivotal position in history, and his performance could play a decisive role in shaping the future of the Iranian people."
The commentary also pointed out that "The country's current situation calls for someone who can do something more than simply running meetings, visiting other countries and meeting with their politicians, and making ad hoc decisions. Iran is facing complicated threats and major challenges."
Etemad wrote that Pezeshkian has repeatedly acknowledged he never expected to become Iran's president or to face such significant challenges. The publication emphasized that the entire nation is watching him, expecting decisive and bold action to address the crises. It urged Pezeshkian to rise to the occasion, overcome obstacles, and pave the way for progress as the nation waits in anticipation.
Etemad warned Pezeshkian that relying solely on optimistic declarations is not enough, writing, “Give the people the feeling that someone is in charge and capable of stopping the violation of their rights and plundering of their wealth. It is a difficult job, but you need to stand firm and shake up the country's [system] and instill hope among the nation.”
Hossein Taeb, an advisor to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, made the comments on Wednesday during a speech discussing Iran's so-called operation True Promise 3, an attack promised by Iranian officials on Israel.
"The operations of True Promise (1), 2, and 3 should be executed when they are strategically effective," Taeb said in comments carried by state media, referring to earlier Iranian attacks against its regional arch-enemy.
Operation True Promise 1 was Iran's first ever direct military strike against Israel, conducted on April 13, 2024.
In retaliation for an Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus two weeks earlier, which resulted in the deaths of two Iranian generals, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a coordinated assault involving over 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones targeting Israeli military installations.
Operation True Promise 2, conducted on October 1, 2024 saw the IRGC launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles targeting Israeli military facilities in response to the assassinations of high-ranking Iran-aligned militant leaders.
"Speeding up a war does not mean achieving success," Taeb added. "Strategic weapons must be used at the right time and in a timely manner."
The unprecedented attacks marked a significant escalation in Iran-Israel tensions, transitioning from proxy engagements to direct confrontation. But Israel's advanced air defense systems, with support from US and allied forces, intercepted the majority of the incoming projectiles, minimizing casualties and damage.
Taeb’s remarks follow months of speculation about why Iran has delayed another retaliation to Israel after it battered Tehran-backed armed groups in the region.
Two senior IRGC generals said earlier that Iran's loss of its ally in Syria and lack of sufficient funding meant the time was not right to hit Israel anew.
