Iran Approves a Decentralisation Plan for Tehran and Alborz

Ehsan Babaei, an urban-planning official at Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, said in a report published on Thursday, October 29, 2026, that the government's action plan to reorganise and decentralise Tehran and Alborz has been approved by the cabinet after passage through the Supreme Council of Urban Planning. He said the plan contains 24 clauses and 21 specific measures covering natural resources, industrial siting, water and energy use and regional infrastructure.

The Industry Ministry is to draw up a list of polluting industries that could be moved for a later cabinet decision, Babaei said; the plan does not relocate every factory. Controls on land-use changes and building beyond the capacity in urban master plans are also included. The decision could affect industrial locations and land and housing supply around Tehran, but individual relocations still require separate decisions.