Controversy Continues In Iran Over Petrochemical Project In Nature Reserve
Controversy over an environmentally dangerous petrochemical project continues in Iran as some government officials have defended it despite an earlier ban.
Controversy over an environmentally dangerous petrochemical project continues in Iran as some government officials have defended it despite an earlier ban.
The petrochemical plant in Miankaleh, northern Iran is planned to be built next to a nature reserve, which galvanized opposition by activists and citizens in the past two weeks. President Ebrahim Raisi came out against the project earlier this week and Iran’s Judiciary issued an order to stop construction until further studies.
However, the governor of Mazandaran province and the Friday Prayer Imam of the region strongly defended the project. The governor is appointed by Raisi and the Imam by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Some hardliners went as far as saying opponents of the project are in essence opponents of the Supreme Leader, thus trying to accuse them of a political crime.
The Speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also has backed the project.
In addition, it was alleged in the media that the owner of the petrochemical plant is a super-borrower from government banks, making the whole project politically more controversial. The individual owners of the land and the project remain hidden from public view, as a host of front companies are officially holders of the permit.
Super-borrowers are influential political insiders who borrow huge sums using their influence, often with no intention to pay back.
The government of former president Hassan Rouhani in an apparently hasty move approved the petrochemical project last year and it obtained the oil ministry’s permission in an unusually fast-tracked manner.
In a tweet Thursday, the embassy wrote that Iran and its islands in the Persian Gulf were “safe for all including Britons and World Cup fans from around the world to enjoy the beauties of this land,” and that “Iranian civilizational and historical identity cannot be distorted by Times.”
In an article Wednesday headlined "No Room in Qatar? Enjoy the World Cup From An Iranian Island," the Times scoffed at Iran’s readiness to host soccer fans and its considering waiving visa requirements for Kish and other islands.
"Alcohol is banned, British nationals are regularly picked up on spurious charges of spying and only two weeks ago female football fans were pepper-sprayed for having the cheek to attend an international match,” the Times wrote. In Qatar itself, strict laws banning alcohol consumption may be waived during the World Cup for foreigners in hotels if not in stadiums.
Despite an expectation of one million visitors in Doha for the tournament in November and December, booking for hotels has not yet begun. Fans from around the world are looking at options including rooms on a cruise ship at $4,000 a week, private accommodation, and luxury camping in the desert.
On Sunday, Rostam Ghasemi, Iran's transport minister, met with his Qatari counterpart, Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, on Kish Island to discuss Iran’s involvement, following up suggestions made by President Ebrahim Raisi during a visit to Doha in February.
"Kish is the focal location for these arrangements, although other coastal and non-coastal provinces in Hormozgan and Bushehr close to the Persian Gulf can play a supporting role,” Ghasemi said.
Daily flights
Mohammad Mohammadi, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, said the current 72 daily Iran-Qatar flights could be boosted to 100 during the World Cup.
Iran’s tourist sector, which includes religious and medical tourism, has struggled in recent years in the face of both United States sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector is keen for a boost from the World Cup and is touting the value on offer in Iran given the rial’s decline on foreign exchange markets. Despite Iran’s ban on alcohol and gender-segregated beaches, it was attracting around 5 million tourists annually before US ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions.
The Times, arguing that easing visa requirement for British and American citizens would not remove a tense political climate between Iran and the west, highlighted cases of dual nationals being arrested in Iran, including the daughter of one protesting this week in London outside the Foreign Office. Tehran and London both denied any connection between Iran recently freeing two British-Iranian dual nationals it had held for years on espionage charges and Britain finally paying a four-decades-old debt of £400 million ($530 million). But the connection between the money and hostages was clear to all for a long time and the exchange happened last month simultaneously.
Some Americans may also remember that Kish Island is where Central Intelligence Agency contractor Robert Levinson disappeared 16 years ago. The Trump administration said Iranian intelligence Iranian was responsible for his capture and probable death.
