Khamenei Expresses Deep Regret Over 'Encroachment' on Iran's Natural Resources

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has expressed deep regret over the 'encroachment of opportunistic individuals on forests and natural resources, especially in the northern part of the country' and has strongly criticized 'land grabbing and mountain grabbing' in Iran. Speaking on Sunday, March 8, with several government officials and environmental activists, Khamenei referred to land grabbing and mountain grabbing and construction in high altitudes as 'painful and lamentable issues.' He stated, 'Such actions must be considered crimes in law, and those who exploit should be prosecuted without any leniency, and if there is negligence in the institutions, those responsible for this negligence should also be dealt with severely.' The leader emphasized that 'responsible agencies must firmly confront encroachments on forests under any pretext, including hotel construction, attracting tourists, and building seminaries, along with some seemingly acceptable justifications.' Khamenei also called for addressing air pollution in metropolitan areas and the phenomenon of dust storms with 'patience, diligence, and necessary follow-up.' Prior to this speech, Khamenei had not made any public speeches for about three weeks and, unlike previous years, refrained from planting trees on Arbor Day. His absence coincided with reports in Western and regional media about the exacerbation of his cancer illness. However, no official source has confirmed the leader's diagnosis of any type of cancer. Various regions in Iran have faced years of encroachment on national lands, forests, and pastures, and construction on them. Ezzatollah Yusefian Molla, a member of parliament and member of the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters, stated in September to the Iran newspaper that 'four million hectares' of national lands outside the cities have been allocated and need to be reviewed. Meanwhile, Iraj Nadimi, the deputy head of the Economic Commission of Parliament, told the same newspaper, 'Given the vastness of the country and the allocations over the past thirty years, it seems the volume of allocations—both legal and illegal—exceeds these numbers.' Khamenei's criticism of land grabbing in Iran comes at a time when some of the institutions under his supervision are among the accused in this phenomenon. In September of this year, Mohammad Ali Pourmokhtar, head of the Article 90 Commission of Parliament, explicitly stated that 'the Endowment and Charity Organization has become a major land grabber.' At the same time, the volume of illegal constructions above the contour lines has always been a problem for Tehran and some other cities in Iran. Mohammad Mehdi Tangouyan, spokesperson for the Urban Planning Commission of the Tehran City Council, reported on October 11 of this year that 30 percent of constructions in this city are illegal and mentioned the 'indeterminate status' of 30,000 construction cases in Tehran, accusing the judiciary of not 'complying with the laws.'