Iran Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said using Persian Gulf water for Tehran could be done in an emergency as a last resort, since the long haul and treatment costs make the plan uneconomic in normal times.
Aliabadi said the price of sending desalinated water from the south to the capital was far above what the state could justify in day-to-day planning. “This is not an economic option,” he said, adding that officials “will do whatever is needed” if people’s safety is at risk.
He said Tehran’s water stress meant all workable options had to be reviewed but said some crops consumed water in ways that “do not make economic sense” and should not be supported.
Aliabadi said large desalination sites were being built in Chabahar, Bandar Abbas and Khuzestan to strengthen water supplies in the south and draw in private investment. If those plants ease pressure in the south, he said, water now moved upstream could instead be kept for Tehran and northern areas, though he said this needed detailed study.
Former minister voices strong objection
Former transport minister Abbas Akhoundi criticized the approach, saying it overlooks environmental limits and the long-term cost for the public.
He wrote that the government could not “force nature to bend to machines” and said both capital relocation plans and major desalination transfers misunderstood why Iran faces deep water stress. He said such projects would burden the country without solving the core problem and would mainly benefit contractors.
Water specialists warn Iran is nearing what they describe as water bankruptcy, where use has exceeded supply for years and the reserves that once fed major cities have been depleted.
Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, told Eye for Iran that Tehran’s reservoirs are near historic lows and that the capital is approaching “day zero,” when steady tap water can no longer be assumed.
He said if winter rains fall short, daily life in major cities could shift to storage tanks, tanker deliveries and bottled water.
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Though other Iranian women have led youth ensembles or smaller groups, Faryousefi achieved a major breakthrough.
The violinist, trained at Tehran's Music Conservatory and Armenia's Komitas State Conservatory, drew inspiration from conductors Aram Gharabekian and Stanislav Kochanovsky.
As concertmaster of the Tehran Philharmonic and a composer, she helmed the "Land of Simurgh" program with works by Iranian composers Aftab Darvishi and Golfam Khayam, plus Schumann, Sibelius, and Khachaturian.
"Art belongs to humanity, not to men and women," Faryousefi said after the performances, underscoring the milestone for women artists.
The concerts highlight a cultural flux in Iran.
"Woman, Life, Freedom" protests against the theocracy's mandatory hijab were crushed with deadly force, but further draconian legislation and much enforcement has lapsed as authorities seek to avoid unrest.
Women presence
Apart from Faryousefi, two other women have conducted orchestras in Iran. Nazanin Aghakhani led the Tehran Youth Orchestra in 2014, and Nezhat Amiri directed a 71-member ensemble in Tehran in 2018.
Vienna-born Aghakhani has a history of conducting orchestras in various countries, was invited to Iran in 2011 on the recommendation of Loris Tjeknavorian to lead the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. She was scheduled for four performances but was denied public performance permits.
Tjeknavorian is an Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor who is renowned for symphonies, operas and leading orchestras like the Armenian Philharmonic.
“An American author said: 'Remove the hijab, and you've effectively joined Mossad operations.' I urge all women to consider their faith and country,” Ahmad Khatami said at a prayer gathering on the Islamic holy day of the week.
Khatami went on to say half of those defying the mandatory headscarf need to come back to Shi'ite Islam.
"Unveiled women fall into two groups: adversaries whom the law confronts, and Shi'ite well-wishers who must align with Fatima Camp. I implore all women to prioritize their faith and nation,” Khatami said.
Fatima al-Zahra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, wife of Ali the first Shiite Imam holds unparalleled status as the only woman in the Prophet's infallible household, making her central to Shiite theology and devotion.
Visible change
Despite mounting threats, civil resistance to the mandatory hijab persists, with many women appearing in public without it to reject the policy.
Enforcement has slackened and a draconian new law on veiling was paused.
While political and espionage arrests have mounted along with executions, authorities have tamped down on veiling as social and economic pressures mount in Iran.
Women and girls in Iran have increasingly defied the mandatory headscarf since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement, sparked by the death of young Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in 2022.
Critics argue the state’s expanding enforcement apparatus shows that the priority is social control rather than easing economic hardship.