Chamran: The Number of Floors in the IRGC Project in Eshratabad Has Not Decreased

Mehdi Chamran, the head of Tehran City Council, stated that construction on the upper floors of the buildings belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Eshratabad, Tehran, has been "temporarily" halted, while also asserting that "no changes have occurred regarding the reduction of floors." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Friday, October 1, Mr. Chamran reported that "currently, construction on the upper floors" of the IRGC buildings in Eshratabad, Tehran, has been stopped. The head of the Tehran City Council emphasized: "Although joint meetings and a committee for determining the status were established, no changes regarding the reduction of floors occurred." Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, had promised a month ago that the number of floors in these buildings would be reduced, but ISNA reported that despite this promise, "not only have the buildings in the IRGC square not been shortened, but construction operations are continuing vigorously." Mr. Qalibaf had previously stated that these buildings were supposed to be "16 or 18 floors," but it was later decided that seven floors would be built above the ground floor. The metal skeleton of the buildings, which the IRGC began constructing in September 2014 within 70 meters of the Kolah Farangi mansion in Eshratabad, has risen to 14 floors despite opposition from various institutions. The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Tourism of Tehran Province had stated on June 19 that the Tehran Military Prosecutor's Office had issued an order to halt any construction within the visual scope of the "Kolah Farangi mansion." However, Mehdi Chamran, in response to ISNA's question about whether the City Council's efforts to reduce the number of floors in these buildings would yield results, said: "Only God knows that."