A panoramic view of the Iranian capital Tehran during the Nowruz Holidays, on March 23, 2025
Recent weather conditions, including rainfall and wind ascribed to springtime, as well as reduced traffic due to Nowruz holidays, have significantly improved the Iranian capital Tehran's air quality, shooting the city up to the third rank in terms of the least air pollution.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Tehran has dropped to 22, awarding it with the rank following Paris and Kabul, data published by the IQAir website showed on Sunday.
The improvement has offered residents who have remained in Tehran during the holidays that mark the beginning of the Persian New Year, clear views of surrounding mountains and, in some areas, Mount Damavand, which lies as far as 74 kilometers (45 miles) to the capital’s east.
In the previous year, Tehran experienced less than a week of clean air days, with vehicle emissions and industrial activities contributing to poor air quality.
Air pollution has been a persistent issue in the city, prompting a number of respiratory complications for citizens and creating financial liabilities.
Factors such as industrial emissions and occasional low fuel quality have contributed to the situation.
The government, however, has been addressing the issue by notably improving public transportation, bringing in electric taxi and bus fleets, moving factories away from the capital, and trying to ensure as little construction buildup as possible.
The recent improvement in Tehran's air quality highlights the potential benefits of implementing such effective environmental policies and modernizing infrastructures to achieve sustainable air quality in the long term.