Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran can no longer serve as the country’s capital, citing a worsening water crisis that has depleted key reservoirs serving the metropolis.
Pezeshkian said the idea of relocating the capital had already been discussed with the Supreme Leader but now “is not a choice, it is a mandate.”
“Last year, rainfall was 140 millimeters, while the standard is 260 millimeters. That means rainfall has fallen by about 50 to 60 percent. This year, the situation is just as critical,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast from Hormozgan Province.
Iran announced in January it would relocate its capital to the southern coastal region of Makran, citing Tehran’s enduring overpopulation, power shortages and water scarcity.
Pezeshkian warned on Thursday that the cost of transporting water to Tehran could reach €4 per cubic meter (about $4.65), underscoring the unsustainable pressure on the city’s resources.
Tehran’s main reservoirs are nearing depletion. Government figures show that 19 major dams nationwide are operating at below 20 percent capacity, while satellite analysis indicates Amir Kabir reservoir outside Tehran is at just 6 percent of usable volume.
Other key reservoirs, including Lar and Latyan, are also at historic lows. Officials have also reported land subsidence in parts of the capital of up to 30 centimeters per year due to groundwater depletion.
Iran has long studied moving the capital to the shores of the Persian Gulf, where access to water would be less strained.
Agriculture, which consumes about 80 percent of Iran’s water, remains highly inefficient, further straining limited supplies. Experts warn that without major reforms in consumption and water management, the country faces worsening shortages, environmental collapse and growing public unrest.
A long-debated issue
The idea of moving the capital has been raised for decades, with concerns ranging from traffic congestion and pollution to earthquake risk and water scarcity.
In 2016, parliament approved a motion to study the transfer, but high costs and political resistance stalled progress. Previous governments floated alternatives such as Semnan, Qom or Esfahan, but no decision was made.
Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to frame relocation as unavoidable.
His warning comes after European states triggered the resumption of UN sanctions citing mistrust of Iran's nuclear intentions.
The move looks set to deepen Iran's economic pain as the Iranian currency has fallen to record lows against the dollar, inflation remains above 30 percent and food and fuel prices continue to climb.
