Under the Clerical Regime, No House is Safe in Iran

Amir2018TaghatiAugust 13, 2023
Under the Clerical Regime, No House is Safe in Iran
On August 7, a set of five buildings collapsed simultaneously in the Ahmadieh (19th) district of Tehran.

iran tehran building collapsed
Written by
Mehdi Oghbai

On August 7, a set of five buildings collapsed simultaneously in the Ahmadieh (19th) district of Tehran. While the demolition of one building was initially underway, the adjacent structures unexpectedly collapsed in a domino effect. As a result of this incident, five individuals lost their lives and eleven others were reportedly injured.

Ali Karimi, the head of the Tehran Construction Engineering Organization (TCEO) addressed the cause behind the collapse of adjacent buildings. He emphasized that “the buildings under construction were demolished in a way that deviated from construction principles.” He highlighted that the process of demolition requires expertise, and there are academies and workshops globally focused on this field.”

Regarding the demolition of the buildings, Karimi stated, “No one from the Construction Engineering Organization was present during the demolition, and we were not invited to be there either. It’s evident from videos and images that they attach a wire rope to a loader, which is then used to pull the building’s foundation with this construction vehicle, resulting in this unfortunate incident.”

Flawed foundation
Before questioning the improper demolition of these buildings, one shall wonder why they were constructed in a substandard manner in the first place. This raises concerns about who is responsible for building such subpar structures without proper authorization.

On August 8, the morrow after the incident, surrounded by reporters, Mehdi Chamran, the head of the Tehran City Council, indirectly highlighted the involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their associated contractors in this matter.

Chamran said, “Those who engage in illegal construction are part of a mafia and come with guns and authority to build structures. You don’t engage in such issues with a few workers or so.”

He emphasized the rapid pace at which this construction mafia erects weak structures, saying, “We had a case where a building was constructed in one week in the Morteza-Gard neighborhood, and they had welded the building’s skeleton frame together with cold joints. A certain faction of the mafia constructs these buildings.”

Referring to the history of constructing weak and unauthorized buildings and structures, the head of TCEO also stated, “A similar incident occurred in Abadan’s Metropol project. The problem in this project was the exclusion of Construction Engineering Organizations and licensed engineers from the supervision and execution process.”

On May 23, 2022, a tragic incident unfolded in Abadan, southwest Iran, as the ten-story Metropol Complex, a twin-tower building, collapsed, resulting in the loss of numerous innocent lives. In the aftermath of the disaster, reports surfaced about Hossein Abdolbaghi, the project’s owner, who allegedly used questionable connections with the IRGC and local officials to secure authorization for the construction of a high-rise building. This was done without the necessary expertise and technical qualifications, raising serious concerns about the safety and integrity of the project.

Shortly after the collapse of the Metropol Complex in Abadan, various reports emerged about systemic corruption in Iran’s construction industry. However, the state quickly veered away from pursuing the true culprits behind the incident and introduced Hossein Abdolbaghi as a victim of the tragedy.

On May 24, a government-affiliated website Asre Iran reported, “While the Metropol tower was being constructed in its flawed and unprincipled state, Hossein Abdolbaghi was introduced by the previous government’s Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade as an enduring figure in the construction industry and received a certificate of appreciation!”

Systemic erosion
The proactive involvement of engineering and construction companies linked to the IRGC, known for their unorthodox methods in operating under the guise of “development bases” that circumvent the usual bureaucratic procedure, highlights a flawed framework intertwined with systemic corruption within the clerical regime. This structure has permeated all aspects of the regime’s fabric and construction, creating a fragile administrative system susceptible to instability.

On September 16, 2022, Donyaye Eghtesad newspaper revealed, “Unfortunately, many employers and construction companies lack proper and comprehensive acquaintance with safety issues, and they are unaware of the legal and financial consequences arising from neglecting safety in construction. These workshops employ around 12 to 13 percent of the workforce, yet 40 to 50 percent of recent work-related accidents have occurred in them. There are numerous considerations for employers in civil and construction projects. Cost, time, quality, and safety are the main considerations in construction. Most employers prioritize economic considerations first, followed by the project’s timeline. For this group, the initial effort is focused on reducing project costs and maximizing profits, followed by the streamlining of operational execution time. Quality is addressed as long as it doesn’t reduce profits.”

Aside from poorly constructed buildings that are prone to collapses and devastation, according to government experts, “55 percent of Tehran’s population lives in unstable houses, and considering the population of Tehran, nearly 5 million residents are at risk of potential earthquake hazards.”

Reports from state-controlled media outlets also indicate that the phenomenon of construction has systematically persisted for many years. An old account from the Mehr News Agency on May 14, 2012, revealed that “based on the statistics of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, 46 percent of the country’s fatal accidents occur in construction workshops, with excavation and building collapses attributing the largest share to the occurrence of incidents.”

With the deterioration of these structures and the increasing poverty and destitution of people who are unable to renovate their homes, this situation becomes more dire year after year.

Yet, the remedy doesn’t rest solely in the renovation of structures or the removal of decrepit and unstable buildings. What requires deconstruction is the dilapidated framework of a system constructed upon corruption, whose underpinnings are now eroding. To ensure the well-being and security of the Iranian people, the fall of a single edifice suffices: the Beyt.

Amir2018TaghatiAugust 13, 2023
Arab-Islamic Committee in Defence of Ashraf
Back to top button