Iran's roads ministry plans six new cities on the northern and southern borders

Shahram Maleki, deputy roads and urban development minister and managing director of the New Towns Development Company, said on Sunday 2 August 2026 that six new cities will be built on Iran's northern and southern borders, in the provinces of Golestan and Hormozgan. He said the cities are designed to house about one million people across more than 38,000 hectares of land.

Maleki said some of the cities are at the design stage while others have reached construction. He described the main approach as aligning with national land use planning and focusing on the southern coastal areas and border regions, adding that the ministry is pursuing the new residential capacity in partnership with the private sector.

Building new towns is one of the government's instruments for addressing the shortfall in housing supply, though its effect on the market depends on the speed of construction and the provision of infrastructure.