Hundreds of deaths are being blamed on the thick, hazy smog that has choked Iran's capital this month, as Iranian officials scramble for solutions to the city's ever-growing pollution crisis. The city is surrounded by mountains and suffers from chronic traffic jams, with low rainfall and a lack of strong wind streams. In a story carried by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, a local city council member Habib Kashani said that poor air quality was a factor in four hundred deaths occurred in the city in roughly the last three weeks. In an emergency response, Tehran's schools were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, keeping children at home in an attempt to lower the number of vehicles on the streets. Irna reported that on four of the past six days, air quality reached dangerous levels for people suffering from respiratory diseases, and on two days it was dangerous for everyone.
As many as 412 people have died in the last 23 days due to smog in Tehran, according to Iran's Health Ministry. All schools in the city have also been ordered to close as part of emergency measures.