Mohammad-Sadeq Azimifar made the remarks at a joint meeting between government officials and university researchers focused on air pollution management. He said upgrading and electrifying urban logistics fleets could simultaneously cut gasoline consumption and reduce emissions.

Azimifar pointed to several factors driving fuel consumption growth, including an aging transportation fleet, low vehicle efficiency, a shrinking share of public transportation, declining CNG use in the national fuel mix, uneven development of transportation infrastructure and fixed pricing policies.

He said the government's key responses so far have included expanding CNG infrastructure, supporting fleet electrification, increasing fuel production and rolling out other consumption-management programs.

Azimifar stressed the importance of targeting high-traffic vehicles in particular. Motorcycles, taxis and urban logistics fleets account for a significant share of fuel use due to their high mileage, he said, adding that modernization and electrification efforts in this sector could cut both gasoline consumption and pollution at the same time.

Call to Rethink Air Pollution Strategies

Yousef Hojjat, president of Tarbiat Modares University, presented findings from a study on data mining of Tehran's air pollution at the same meeting. He said fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, remains the capital's most significant air pollutant, and argued that some common approaches to pollution management need serious reconsideration.

Hojjat noted that a substantial portion of vehicle-related pollution isn't limited to exhaust emissions. Particles generated from tire wear, brake pad wear and asphalt surfaces, along with the resuspension of particulate matter by vehicle traffic, contribute significantly to air pollution — in many cases exceeding direct exhaust emissions, he said.

He concluded that the study's findings show that improving vehicle standards, fuel quality or even electrifying passenger cars alone cannot solve the air pollution problem. Reducing traffic, expanding public transportation and managing travel demand remain among the most important solutions, he said.

The meeting closed with a call for expanded scientific and research cooperation between government and academic institutions to develop data-driven policies on energy, transportation and the environment, as well as practical strategies for managing fuel consumption and reducing air pollution.