As winter tightens its grip on Iran, millions of people are struggling not only with cold weather, influenza, and crushing economic hardship, but also with an invisible and deadly threat: toxic air deliberately produced by the state itself.
At the heart of this crisis is Mazut—the heaviest and filthiest residue of crude oil. Packed with sulfur and heavy metals, Mazut has long been abandoned by most of the world because of its devastating health effects. In Iran, however, it is still being burned on a massive scale, pumping poison directly into the air people breathe.
Despite more than a year in office, President Masoud Pezeshkian has failed to rein in a pollution disaster that is suffocating the nation. According to Iran’s own Ministry of Health, air pollution claims the lives of around 59,000 Iranians every year—a staggering toll that rivals that of major epidemics.
The Regime’s Big Lie: Denial in the Face of Smog
Even as thick smog blankets major cities, officials continue to deny responsibility. On December 9, 2025, an electricity-sector official publicly claimed that no power plant in Tehran had burned Mazut for a decade. The claim collapsed almost immediately.
Just one day later, state-affiliated media admitted the truth: Mazut consumption at power plants had surged from 37 million liters to 88 million liters in just the first half of December—a shocking 138 percent increase.
Today, at least 15 major power plants, including Rajaei, Montazer Ghaem, and Tabriz, burn roughly 21.1 million liters of Mazut every single day. The result is catastrophic:
- 63,000 tons of carbon dioxide released daily
- Over 1,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) flooding the air
Sulfur dioxide is a major cause of acid rain and severe respiratory illness, while particulate matter penetrates deep into the lungs, triggering heart attacks, chronic disease, and premature death.
Why Burn Toxic Sludge in a Gas-Rich Country?
Iran sits atop the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves. Yet it burns Mazut because the fuel it produces is so contaminated—containing six to eight times the global sulfur standard—that no international buyer will touch it. Instead of treating or discarding this toxic waste, the regime simply burns it at home, turning cities into gas chambers for its own people.
The deeper cause is decades of corruption and neglect. Systematic looting has left Iran with an electricity deficit of 16,000 megawatts—roughly equal to the output of 16 nuclear reactors the size of Bushehr. In fact, Iran’s current power shortage is comparable to the entire electricity generation capacity of Switzerland.
Guns and Missiles Over Clean Air
Fixing this disaster would require an estimated $20 billion to modernize Iran’s energy infrastructure. The money exists—but it is not spent on public welfare.
Instead, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ruling elite funnel national wealth into nuclear ambitions, missile programs, regional proxy militias, and personal enrichment. Public health, clean air, and human life rank far below these priorities.
The black smoke hanging over Iran’s cities is not the result of mismanagement or technical failure. It is the outcome of a conscious political decision—one that treats the population as expendable while preserving the machinery of repression and conflict.