Iran Prosperity Project: a way out of the energy and air pollution crisis

Two advisers to the Iran Prosperity Project, water and environment researcher Bahram Vahedi and energy and industrial policy expert Aydin Panahi, wrote in an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post on Saturday 31 October 2026 that Iran's energy and air pollution crisis is the direct result of nearly 47 years of Islamic Republic rule, and set out the project's roadmap for the Iran that comes after it.

They wrote that Iran holds some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves, yet its citizens live with energy shortages, worn-out industries and polluted air. In winter, when gas runs short, power plants and factories burn mazut, and temperature inversions trap the smoke over cities. Citing official figures, the two advisers wrote that air pollution killed nearly 59,000 people in the year to April 2025 and caused 17.2 billion dollars in economic losses.

The responsibility of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC

Vahedi and Panahi say the Islamic Republic has put ideology and politics ahead of protecting the environment, and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has damaged Iran's nature with its military and economic projects. They wrote that these crises existed before the recent wars, although the environmental damage of the war should also be examined separately.

A roadmap for a free Iran

According to the two advisers, the Iran Prosperity Project, under the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi, is preparing a plan to rebuild Iran. Their proposals are modernising energy infrastructure, better gas management, diversifying sources of electricity, stricter environmental regulation, cleaner industrial production and better public transport. They also proposed international cooperation on clean energy and pollution control, including with Israel within the framework of the Cyrus Accords, which they see as rooted in Prince Reza Pahlavi's vision.

With the support of Prince Reza Pahlavi, the Iran Prosperity Project has drawn up plans for Iran's economy, water and energy after the Islamic Republic. Vahedi and Panahi wrote that clean air, reliable electricity and competitive industry will be the measure of a free Iran's rebirth.

Advisers to the Iran Prosperity Project see nearly 59,000 deaths a year from air pollution as a consequence of Islamic Republic rule.