A plan to move the capital has been discussed many times in prior years, due mainly to the environmental issues of the region.
Tehran is rated as one of the world's most polluted cities, and is also located near two major fault lines.

The city suffers from severe air pollution.
80% of the city's pollution is due to cars.
The remaining 20% is due to industrial pollution.
Other estimates suggest that motorcycles alone account for 30% of air and 50% of noise pollution in Tehran.
Tehran is also considered as one of the strongest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Middle East.
Enhanced concentration of carbon dioxide over the city (that are likely originated from the anthropogenic urban sources in the city) is easily detectable from the satellite observations throughout the year.

In 2010, the government announced that "for security and administrative reasons, the plan to move the capital from Tehran has been finalized."
There are plans to relocate 163 state firms and several universities from Tehran to avoid damages from a potential earthquake.

The officials are engaged in a battle to reduce air pollution.
It has, for instance, encouraged taxis and buses to convert from petrol engines to engines that run on compressed natural gas.
Furthermore, the government has set up a "Traffic Zone" covering the city centre during peak traffic hours.
Entering and driving inside this zone is only allowed with a special permit.

There have also been plans to raise people's awareness of the hazards of pollution.
One method that is being employed is the installation of Pollution Indicator Boards all around the city to monitor the level of particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO).
A plan to move the capital has been discussed many times in prior years, due mainly to the environmental issues of the region. Tehran is rated as one of the world's most polluted cities, and is also located near two major fault lines.
The city suffers from severe air pollution. 80% of the city's pollution is due to cars. The remaining 20% is due to industrial pollution. Other estimates suggest that motorcycles alone account for 30% of air and 50% of noise pollution in Tehran. Tehran is also considered as one of the strongest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Middle East. Enhanced concentration of carbon dioxide over the city (that are likely originated from the anthropogenic urban sources in the city) is easily detectable from the satellite observations throughout the year.
In 2010, the government announced that "for security and administrative reasons, the plan to move the capital from Tehran has been finalized." There are plans to relocate 163 state firms and several universities from Tehran to avoid damages from a potential earthquake.
The officials are engaged in a battle to reduce air pollution. It has, for instance, encouraged taxis and buses to convert from petrol engines to engines that run on compressed natural gas. Furthermore, the government has set up a "Traffic Zone" covering the city centre during peak traffic hours. Entering and driving inside this zone is only allowed with a special permit.
There have also been plans to raise people's awareness of the hazards of pollution. One method that is being employed is the installation of Pollution Indicator Boards all around the city to monitor the level of particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO).
Tehran