Continuation of the Miankaleh Petrochemical Project Despite Opposition; The Executor is a 'Major Bank Debtor'

The executor of the Miankaleh petrochemical project, identified by the judiciary as one of the major bank debtors, is reportedly 'pouring concrete in the area at night'; an action that Iranian environmental officials say is 'illegal and without environmental approval.' The construction of the Miankaleh petrochemical project in Behshahr, Mazandaran province, which was approved during Hassan Rouhani's presidency, began in the winter of 2021 under Ibrahim Raisi's government but was halted due to protests from environmental activists who argue that its industrial wastewater production poses serious threats to the environment and wildlife sanctuary. While the allocation of national lands to similar projects, such as Dena Petrochemical and Sabalan Petrochemical, has been 'less than 10 hectares', the Miankaleh petrochemical project has been allocated '100 hectares' of 'grazing land' despite a ban. Meanwhile, Saeed Karimi, the director of the Environmental Assessment Office of the Department of Environment, stated on the television program 'Tehran 20' that the investor of this project is 'pouring concrete in the area at night,' but 'this action is illegal and without environmental approval.' According to Karimi, the Department of Environment has not approved the construction of the Miankaleh petrochemical project and 'it was decided that no construction should take place in this project,' yet 'new operations have been carried out in the same location that was reviewed last year and opposed.' On the other hand, Gholam-Abbas Torki, the Deputy Prosecutor General for Public Rights, introduced the executor of the Miankaleh petrochemical project as one of the 'major bank debtors' and stated that he has taken '58 million euros' in loans from the Sari branch of Export Bank since 2015 and 'has not repaid it yet.' This judicial official noted that 'the position of the judiciary is to support production and entrepreneurship,' but the Department of Environment 'has not granted an evaluation permit' for the Miankaleh petrochemical project after three reviews because it 'negatively affects the wildlife sanctuary.' He announced that the head of the Department of Environment has requested to prevent the execution of the project and 'the national lands in the executor's possession should be returned.' Additionally, the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has also deemed 'the establishment of a petrochemical plant in this area inappropriate.' Furthermore, Mehdi Ismaili Bidhandi described the continuation of construction at the Miankaleh project as 'a blatant violation' and stated that the economic justification mentioned by the representative of Behshahr, which is its 'job creation,' does not necessitate 'industrializing' Mazandaran province and should occur in other provinces. Nikahang Kowsar, a journalist and analyst in the field of water and environment, has stated in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the Miankaleh wetland is a victim of corrupt individuals in the Islamic Republic.