Crane Collapse at Illegal Project; Traces of the IRGC in the 'Sepah Square' Structure

The collapse of a crane on a structure in northern Sepah Square in Tehran, reportedly belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and lacking construction permits, has sparked a new controversy surrounding this project. Construction in northern Sepah Square (Ishrat Abad) is near the historical Kolah Farangi building and has faced official opposition from members of the Tehran City Council, some senior municipal officials, and even the head of the Administrative Justice Court. Construction of this project, located within a 70-meter radius of the Ishrat Abad Palace, began in September 2014, and despite various objections, the metal skeleton of this structure has risen to 14 floors. According to the head of the Administrative Justice Court and some members of the Tehran City Council, this project belongs to the IRGC. The newspaper Qanoon reported on Thursday, July 2, referencing a judicial ruling from the Tehran Military Prosecutor's Office on June 16, 2015, which ordered an immediate halt to all executive actions at Sepah Square within the visual boundary of the Kolah Farangi building, stating that construction on this project has not only continued but has accelerated. According to this newspaper, the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture of Iran discussed the construction in northern Sepah Square in its first meeting of the current year on April 6, 2015, emphasizing that the historical Ishrat Abad building should be made available for public use and resolved that 'construction operations in the vicinity of the building should be halted and plans should be revised and corrected according to zoning regulations and cultural heritage regulations.' The construction at Sepah Square has also prompted reactions from members of the Tehran City Council. Mehdi Chamran, the head of the Tehran City Council, stated on May 4 in an interview with the Shahrvand newspaper that 'we are closely monitoring the construction at Sepah Square, but the media should allow us to complete all follow-ups and actions before we announce the results.' Mr. Chamran also responded to the question of whether the opinions of the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture had been communicated to the Tehran City Council, stating, 'We have received the opinions and views of the Supreme Council regarding the constructions at Sepah Square, and we are currently reviewing these issues, and our opinion is also close to that of the Supreme Council, and we consider their criticisms valid.' On the other hand, Abolfazl Ghanavati, a member of the Tehran City Council's board of directors and a critic of the recent constructions at Sepah Square, stated at that time to the Shahrvand newspaper, 'This issue has been communicated to the IRGC officials, and the legal and parliamentary deputy of the IRGC has also been informed, and they are currently following up on this matter.' According to this council member, 'IRGC officials say that based on a clause in the Armed Forces Law, they can make changes in their own areas without permits from the municipality.' Mr. Ghanavati also responded to the question of whether a permit had been issued for the constructions in northern Sepah Square, stating, 'These constructions do not have permits. However, the structure being built is an administrative building, and IRGC officials say they intend to use this building for administrative purposes. However, the main contractor of the project is the Basij Resistance Force, and an important issue is that according to comprehensive and detailed plans, the land use of this area is defined as green space.' The head of the Administrative Justice Court: 'Dear IRGC brother, first get a permit.' The head of the Administrative Justice Court recently expressed his opposition to the construction at Sepah Square and stated that he would prevent this violation. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated on July 1 in a meeting, 'On the route through Sepah Square and the Vali Asr barracks, I saw a massive skeleton rising, and every day more is added to this skeleton; before I obtained any information about this skeleton, my sixth sense told me that there was something wrong until I recently learned that they had started construction without a permit, which is very regrettable.' Mr. Montazeri continued, 'The entity constructing this complex is a military organization that considers itself loyal to the leadership; how can someone who is loyal to the leadership allow themselves to violate the law?' The head of the Administrative Justice Court also criticized the IRGC for this illegal action, stating, 'Dear IRGC brother, if you want to build, first get a permit! If this is in an area that should not change its usage, no matter who you are, you should not violate the rights of citizens; how do you allow yourself to build such a structure in a metropolis like Tehran without a permit?' This judicial official emphasized at the end of his remarks that 'these issues must definitely be followed up and monitored.' The latest news surrounding this controversial project is the collapse of one of the cranes installed on this structure. The ISNA news agency reported on July 2 that one of the construction cranes for this project collapsed due to an incident. In this regard, Hassan Abbasi, the public relations manager of Tehran Emergency Services, told ISNA, 'This incident was reported to the emergency services at 10:48 AM on Thursday, and upon the arrival of emergency personnel at Sepah Square, it was determined that the operator of a tower crane was injured due to the collapse of this device.' According to this emergency official, the injured individual, who sustained severe injuries, was transferred to Iran Shahr Hospital. Mr. Abbasi also stated regarding the cause of this incident, 'The emergency services have no duty in this regard, and the cause should be inquired from the relevant officials, but what was observed at the site was that a breakage in the device caused this incident.' So far, no one has commented on the cause of this incident, and IRGC officials have also remained silent about the overall situation and this illegal construction.