Ghalibaf: It has been agreed that the Isratabad building will be a maximum of seven stories

Tehran's mayor, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, announced on Thursday, September 5, that an agreement has been reached whereby the controversial and under-construction building at Sepah Square, formerly Isratabad, will only be seven stories above ground level. According to Mehr News Agency, Ghalibaf stated regarding the latest status of the building under construction at Sepah Square: "With the agreement between the urban planning department of Tehran Municipality and the legal and engineering department of the IRGC, this building will be constructed based on the agreements." He added that the height of this building will respect cultural heritage issues and it has been agreed that it will be a maximum of seven stories. Ghalibaf continued, "The design of this building was 16 or 18 stories, I am not exactly sure, but it has been decided that seven stories will be built above the ground floor, which means it will be the same height as the building in front of it near the square." The mayor pointed out that this agreement has not yet completed its final administrative stage, stating, "If you have noticed, wall construction is also being done on those floors, and the IRGC friends are adhering to the agreement." Construction in the northern part of Sepah Square (Isratabad) is near the Qala Farangi building, and the construction of this project 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 70 meters of the Isratabad Palace, began in September 2014, and according to the latest reports, despite opposition from various institutions, the metal framework of this structure has risen to 14 stories. According to the head of the Administrative Justice Court and some members of the Tehran City Council, this project belongs to the IRGC. Earlier, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, head of the Administrative Justice Court, had announced his opposition to the construction at Sepah Square and stated that he would prevent this violation. In this context, in July of this year, Pejman Pashmchi Zadeh, Tehran's deputy mayor, rejected claims by an IRGC deputy regarding the existence of a municipal permit for construction near the historical Isratabad building, emphasizing that the municipality had repeatedly warned the IRGC that this action was "unauthorized." Previously, Mohammad Reza Yazdi, legal deputy of the IRGC, stated that the director general of institutional affairs and organizations of the Tehran Municipality's regional affairs department had informed in a letter dated September 4, 2013, that the IRGC was "authorized to take necessary actions" in this project. The Qala Farangi building of Isratabad was registered as one of Iran's national monuments on April 12, 1967. This building was constructed at the behest of Mozafar ad-Din Shah Qajar with an Iranian architectural model in four stories. After the fall of the Qajar dynasty and the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty, this garden and palace, along with houses around the pond, were assigned for military use to the police and were thus named the "Police Barracks" or "Isratabad." After the revolution, this barracks was confiscated by the IRGC and renamed "Vali Asr Barracks." Ghalibaf also commented on issues related to the Tehran Municipality, stating, "We do not say that we are a flawless organization and that there is no bribery and corruption in the municipality." He asserted, "We firmly state that the Tehran Municipality is cleaner in terms of administrative and financial corruption than other government organizations and non-governmental public institutions; this is not just our claim but is stated by relevant competent authorities, although unfortunately, public opinion does not reflect this." Ghalibaf continued, "If we hear someone say that something happened in the municipality and that everyone is a thief, we will also join them; while if someone makes such a claim, we should ask them what evidence they have." According to Ghalibaf, "Even if we have a very small percentage of ignorant colleagues who tarnish our reputation, we should not allow them to tarnish the reputation of others."