Immediate Reduction Order for the Ishratabad Project by the IRGC Commander

After several months of disagreement between the Tehran Municipality and the Cultural Heritage Organization with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced on Wednesday that the IRGC commander has issued an order for the "immediate reduction" of the floors in the construction project at the Vali Asr Barracks adjacent to the historical Ishratabad building. According to ISNA, Qalibaf stated on his Instagram that following his previous post about this project, a meeting was held with some IRGC commanders and Tehran Municipality officials. He mentioned that after this meeting, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, issued the "immediate reduction" order for the project's floors. On July 20, Qalibaf criticized the lack of "legal procedures" for the construction at the Vali Asr Barracks, stating, "If I were in the place of these friends and former comrades, I would not only prevent the construction of this gigantic structure but also find a way for all people to visit the historical Qala Farangi building." The construction project at the Vali Asr Barracks of the IRGC, adjacent to the historical Qala Farangi Ishratabad building, which reportedly has a metal skeleton rising up to 14 floors, has been a topic of discussion between the Tehran Municipality and the Cultural Heritage Organization on one side and the IRGC on the other for the past few months. Ultimately, the Tehran Municipality filed a complaint with the military judiciary, and officials from the Cultural Heritage Organization announced the military prosecutor's order to halt the project. However, Mohammad Reza Yazdi, the legal deputy of the IRGC, stated on Tuesday, July 15, that stopping or modifying this project "requires" an order from the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Yazdi also mentioned that the director of the Tehran Municipality's regional affairs department had stated in a letter on September 13, 2013, that the IRGC was "authorized to take necessary actions" in this project. Nevertheless, Pejman Pashmchi Zadeh, the deputy mayor of Tehran, emphasized on Friday, July 19, that the municipality had repeatedly warned the IRGC that this action was "unauthorized." The Qala Farangi Ishratabad building was registered as one of Iran's national monuments on April 12, 1967, under registration number 648. This building was constructed at the behest of Muzaffar al-Din Shah Qajar in an Iranian architectural style over four floors. After the fall of the Qajar dynasty and the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty, this garden and palace, along with the houses around the pool, were assigned for military use to the police, hence it was named the "Police Barracks" or "Ishratabad." After the revolution, this barracks was confiscated by the IRGC and renamed "Vali Asr Barracks."