Third Wave of Dust Storms in Khuzestan in Two Weeks

On Sunday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, made statements that received widespread but varied coverage in Iranian newspapers on February 9. The government-aligned newspaper Iran dedicated its front page to the leader and quoted him as saying, "I agree with a good agreement." The newspaper Javan also featured a photo and headline from Khamenei's remarks, emphasizing that "the agreement is only one stage and cannot be interpreted," describing this statement as "the final word on nuclear negotiations." The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz highlighted the title "The Trap Has Been Removed," emphasizing the failure of the U.S. plan to create a two-stage nuclear agreement based on Khamenei's remarks on Saturday. Ibrahim Asgharzadeh evaluated Khamenei's comments as similar to his statements leading up to the 2013 presidential election, stating to the newspaper Etemad, "At that time, these remarks were a breakthrough and a way out of a deadlock. Today, he expressed words that have a similar impact as those statements that opened up deadlocks." The newspaper Shahrvand published a report on air pollution in Khuzestan, emphasizing that the pollution levels in "Ahvaz and Mahshahr have reached 66 times higher than the permissible limit," stating, "The third wave of dust storms has kept the people of Khuzestan indoors for the past two weeks." The newspaper Etemad also headlined its front page with "Dust Closed Ahvaz," stating, "The life of the people in Ahvaz is no less than a gradual death." The newspaper Shargh, in its Tuesday issue, referred to the halt of high-rise construction in Tehran, publishing a list of 47 towers under construction in the capital and examining the disputes between the Tehran municipality, the Supreme Council of Architecture and Urbanism, and the city council regarding this issue. The differing perspectives of the newspapers on Khamenei's remarks about the "agreement" were notable. The newspaper Iran, close to the government, described Khamenei's remarks on Sunday during a meeting with Air Force commanders as "guidance on nuclear negotiations," quoting him as saying, "Our negotiators are trying to take the weapon of sanctions out of the enemy's hands." Hamid Reza Asfari, a former spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also wrote in an editorial for the newspaper Iran titled "The Clear Message of Leadership," stating, "The intelligent behavior of the government under the wise leadership of the revolution has opened many deadlocks as Iran desires, and now the leader's remarks support the negotiating team and emphasize the efforts of the nuclear team to realize the rights of the Islamic Republic, sending a clear message to the other side to refrain from deceptive policies behind diplomatic smiles. These remarks clearly outlined the future path of negotiations." The editorial writer emphasized that this stance by the leader came at a time when "the U.S. is trying to waste time convincing various internal groups and foreign allies" and "therefore pursues the nuclear understanding in two stages." Hamid Reza Asfari also noted that considering the recent positions of the leader, "it is expected that various groups and thoughts, regardless of their perspectives and analyses, will support the nuclear negotiating team based on these statements, although constructive and kind criticism does not negate supportive intentions." The newspaper Resalat quoted the leader as saying, "The nuclear agreement should be one stage and transparent." The newspaper Javan also dedicated half of its front page to a photo and headline from Khamenei's remarks, highlighting that "the agreement is only one stage and cannot be interpreted," describing this statement as "the final word on nuclear negotiations." Mohammad Javad Akhavan, in a note for the newspaper Javan, posed the question, "Why is a two-stage agreement unacceptable?" and evaluated the leader's remarks, emphasizing that these statements "contain important points for a deep and realistic understanding of the ongoing nuclear negotiations and can be considered as a roadmap for the negotiators." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, identified the "first point" in Khamenei's remarks on Sunday as the issue of not agreeing to a "bad agreement." This newspaper noted that "Americans constantly say that not reaching an agreement is better than a bad agreement," reminding readers that "in contrast to this frequently heard statement from White House officials, a statement sometimes heard from some domestic platforms is worth considering: Any agreement is better than no agreement," which "is a form of self-abasement that will pave the way for national humiliation by the enemy." The newspaper Javan also noted another point in Khamenei's remarks, rejecting the proposal for a "two-stage agreement," explaining that "a two-stage agreement means that initially a general agreement is reached, and then negotiations continue on the details, leading to a specific agreement. In other words, the initial agreement can be considered a political or general agreement, while subsequent agreements are technical agreements." Regarding the reasons for rejecting a two-stage agreement, the newspaper wrote: "This agreement would not yield any tangible achievements for the Iranian people, as the initial agreement would be on generalities that are not currently contentious, and the main points of contention are on technical issues such as the specifics of nuclear activities and sanctions. Secondly, a two-stage agreement would only have a propaganda function and would create an environment for the enemy's media to repeatedly pressure the Iranian side to retreat and abandon its positions. Thirdly, accepting a two-stage agreement entails entering a path whose end is already unclear, and some analysts believe that the lifting of all sanctions in such a process could take 20 years or more without yielding any real benefits for the Iranian people." The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz also emphasized the title "The Trap Has Been Removed," highlighting the role of Khamenei's remarks on Saturday in undermining the U.S. plan for a two-stage nuclear agreement. Mehdi Mohammadi, a former member of the negotiating team during Saeed Jalili's secretaryship at the Supreme National Security Council, wrote in the newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz under the title "Correcting the Path of Negotiations," stating, "Undoubtedly, the remarks made by the Supreme Leader yesterday will change the path of Iran's nuclear diplomacy and that of the 1+5." Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, a figure close to reformists, also stated in an interview with the newspaper Etemad, "The leader's remarks will bring foreign policy into a new phase." Ibrahim Asgharzadeh evaluated Khamenei's remarks on Sunday as similar to his statements in the days leading up to the 2013 presidential election, stating to the newspaper Etemad, "I refer you to his remarks before the 2013 election. At that time, two key and historic sentences were expressed. One was about the voting of all Iranians regardless of their belief or disbelief in the system, and the other was the important issue of considering the people's vote as a right. Those remarks were breakthroughs and ways out of deadlocks. Today, he expressed words that have a similar impact as those statements that opened up deadlocks." The newspaper Etemad also quoted Ibrahim Asgharzadeh as saying, "I heard him say, 'A good point was made by the respected president that negotiations mean both sides reaching a common point.' In interpreting this statement, it should be said that for us, negotiations mean reaching a common point. This statement not only affects Rouhani's government but also brings the foreign policy of the system into a new phase. While we protest the existing global order and do not accept the dominance of superpowers in the international system, we also acknowledge that it is possible to reach a common point with the other side." The third wave of dust storms in Khuzestan has kept the people indoors for two weeks; dust storms have no short-term solution except for warnings before their occurrence. The newspaper Shahrvand published a report on air pollution in Khuzestan, emphasizing that the pollution levels in "Ahvaz and Mahshahr have reached 66 times higher than the permissible limit," stating, "The third wave of dust storms has kept the people of Khuzestan indoors for the past two weeks." This newspaper quoted Ahmad Lahijanizadeh, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Khuzestan, as saying, "At 1 PM on Sunday, the dust concentration in Ahvaz reached over 10,000 micrograms per cubic meter, which is more than 60 times the permissible limit. The dust concentration that arrived in Ahvaz on Sunday morning remained at that level until 3 PM without decreasing in intensity." The director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Khuzestan noted that on Sunday, the dust concentration in Mahshahr was also very high, stating to the newspaper Shahrvand, "The dust concentration in Mahshahr also reached over 10,000 micrograms per cubic meter, which was the highest concentration in the province, but it decreased in the afternoon, dropping to 5,000 micrograms by 3 PM." The newspaper reminded readers that "if we consider the permissible air pollution limit to be 150 micrograms, the dust concentration in Ahvaz and Mahshahr has exceeded 10,000 micrograms per cubic meter, indicating an emergency situation for the people of these two cities." The director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Khuzestan discussed the source of the dust that darkened the sky of Ahvaz on Sunday, stating to the newspaper Shahrvand, "The source of the dust must be internal, starting from the axis of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Hendijan, and it seems to be domestic. However, we have not yet received satellite images showing the path of the winds that brought the dust storms to Khuzestan, but we predict that the source of the dust is due to winds from the southeastern province, which is internal. In the area where the winds have started, there are plains that have become muddy due to rainfall, but unfortunately, due to the lack of rain, this area has completely dried up and has thus become a dust source." Shahrvand noted that "half of Khuzestan's counties have been closed," stating, "The third wave of dust storms that has swept through Khuzestan over the past two weeks has once again closed schools, universities, and even government offices in 11 counties on Sunday." This newspaper mentioned the cities of Ahvaz, Abadan, Mahshahr, Hendijan, Dasht-e-Azadegan, Karun, Bavi, Omidieh, Hamidieh, Khorramshahr, and Ramshir, where the crisis headquarters of Khuzestan's governorate announced the closure of offices in these cities on Sunday. The newspaper Etemad also headlined its front page with "Dust Closed Ahvaz," stating, "The life of the people in Ahvaz is no less than a gradual death." Ghazal Hazraty reported in the newspaper Etemad that "the dust in Khuzestan no longer just roams the streets and alleys of the cities in this province; it has become a tsunami in itself, filling social media and networks just like every day when dust engulfed Ahvaz." According to the newspaper Etemad, "The protests of the people of Khuzestan this time were not seen in the streets and on the bridges of the city, but rather on social media; protests that resembled the cries of people who are being buried under rubble; a silent rubble that is slowly burying their homes, cities, and lives." This newspaper noted instances of protests by the people of Khuzestan on social media, including a user on Twitter stating, "We are suffocating in this dust," and another writing, "Khuzestan is being buried alive." Etemad reviewed the statements of officials regarding the extent and reasons for the phenomenon of dust storms in Khuzestan, stating, "Apparently, there is no short-term solution to combat the phenomenon of dust in Khuzestan, except for warnings before they occur. The people of Khuzestan have become accustomed to red alerts and warnings to take shelter." Ziaoddin Shoa'i, the head of the National Committee for Combating Dust, stated about the impact of these warnings and the people's stay-at-home measures to the newspaper Etemad, "We have an emergency meeting in the province at the beginning of next week; the only thing we can currently do is to issue warnings to the people about what to do to minimize harm when this phenomenon occurs. Staying at home has a significant effect on reducing harm. On Sunday, we also presented a proposal to the government to seriously consider increasing the budget for this issue." According to the newspaper Etemad, "The National Committee for Combating Dust is still seeking funding, funding that the government should specifically allocate to address this issue," as "the budget allocated from oil is insufficient for this matter." The halt of high-rise construction in Tehran; examining the case of 47 profitable towers. The newspaper Shargh, in its Tuesday issue, referred to the halt of high-rise construction in Tehran, publishing a list of 47 towers under construction in the capital and examining the disputes between the Tehran municipality, the Supreme Council of Architecture and Urbanism, and the city council regarding this issue. This newspaper stated, "For a month now, the Supreme Council of Architecture and Urbanism has ordered a halt to high-rise constructions over six stories in Tehran. This halt will remain in effect for three months until the high-rise construction regulations are drafted for the first time in the country. However, city managers insist that the Supreme Council and the Committee of Article 5 grant permits for the 47 towers whose cases have previously reached the Committee of Article 5." Fatemeh Jamalpour reported in the newspaper Shargh that "of these 47 towers, 38 are located in Region One, and this insistence by the municipality comes at a time when, according to the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, the capacity of Region One has been saturated, and this volume...