Air Pollution Disrupts Work in Several Iranian Provinces

The authorities in many Iranian provinces decided to close official departments on Tuesday, due to pollution caused by a sandstorm, according to local media.

State-run television reported that official departments were closed in the provinces of Khuzestan in the southwest of the country, Isfahan in its center, North Khorasan in the northeast, and Kerman in the southeast.

The official news agency reported that the official departments continued to work in at least three other governorates, despite the high level of pollution in them.

The sand and dust storms that have increased in frequency in the region are composed of particles that can lead to hospitalization due to respiratory problems.

The Iranian capital's air quality watchdog said last April that these storms were arriving in Tehran from "neighboring countries to the west of Iran."