Khamenei says Iran must go green

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a 15-point list of policy directives to address the country’s environmental needs. The Nov. 17 letter, titled “General Policies of the Environment,” was published on the leader’s website and addressed to President Hassan Rouhani, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and head of judiciary Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani. General policies issued by the supreme leader often serve as guidelines for future policies, legislation and initiatives from the three branches of Iran’s government.

In the letter, Khamenei stressed the need to “manage climate change and environment threats such as desertification, especially dust pollution [and] drought.” A number of Iranian cities have been hit with crippling dust pollution this year. In February, public buildings in 11 cities in Khuzestan province were shut down because of dust pollution, with dust content reaching 66 times permissible levels. Most surprising of all, unprecedented dust storms hit Tehran, leading to a number of deaths.