Mohammad-Jafar Qaem-Panah, speaking on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting, said the issue of air pollution in Tehran was discussed seriously by the ministers. He noted that pollution in major cities, especially Tehran, is largely caused by cars and motorcycles. Many old vehicles and motorcycles in the capital have yet to be retired, he said, while the municipality has not provided sufficient resources for public transportation.

Qaem-Panah added that a pilot program to replace motorcycles with electric models is underway in Tehran. In the first phase, 20,000 electric motorcycles will be offered in an effort to help reduce pollution.

He reiterated that claims circulated recently about widespread mazut burning and the use of high-sulfur diesel are untrue. “Temperature inversion and pollution have existed for many years. We must work to reduce them, and we see this as our responsibility,” he said.

In response to a question about vehicle quality, Qaem-Panah said it remains inadequate. He added that the president has called for moving toward hybrid vehicles, but price liberalization must follow a clear framework. “We can only announce liberalization when we are also able to regulate imports,” he said.

Qaem-Panah said price liberalization in the auto market is possible only when supply and demand meet the needs of society. “As long as we cannot satisfy the market, liberalization will harm consumers,” he said.