The extensive fires currently ravaging the ancient Hyrcanian forests are not merely an environmental disaster; they represent the final link in a long chain of corruption, looting, and crime inherent to the ruling religious dictatorship. As the regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continues to prioritize the funding of proxy groups and domestic suppression over national infrastructure, the natural resources of Iran have become the playground for power networks and the “mafia” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Analysts warn that as long as the regime remains in power, Iran’s forests will continue to burn year after year.
Intentional destruction and the mafia’s blueprint
State-controlled media have been forced to admit the human element behind these catastrophes. The state-run daily Arman Melli, in its November 23 issue, reported that “the most common cause of fire in Iran’s forests is intentional,” noting that officials refuse to provide transparent statistics. However, available official data reveals that in the past decade, more than 200,000 hectares of forests have turned to ash, with over 90 percent of these fires caused by human factors.
This destruction follows a calculated pattern of land grabbing. First, roads are illegally cut through protected lands; next, mines or luxury villas are constructed for the elite; finally, “suspicious” fires break out, converting the forest land into agricultural or residential zones. This cycle has decimated areas like Elimalat Noor, Lisar in Gilan, and the oak regions of Zagros hundreds of times.
A glaring example of this systematic looting was highlighted by the state-run Bahar website on November 21. Reports indicate that a relative of a former provincial official—identified as a link in the chain of the IRGC mafia—illegally built residential units and livestock pens on national lands in the Hyrcanian forests. In his latest violation, this individual bulldozed a 6-kilometer road through these ancient woods without any reaction from the General Administration of Sari, effectively destroying a part of this natural heritage.
A world heritage abandoned to flames
The current crisis is centered in the Elit region of Mazandaran. The Hyrcanian forests, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019, date back 25 to 50 million years and house over 3,200 plant species. Yet, reports confirm that fires have been raging in the Elit area for nearly two weeks.
The state-run newspaper Jahan-e Sanat on November 22 described the ongoing fire as a “bitter and terrifying event” for one of Iran’s natural world heritage sites. The paper admitted that in recent years, individuals seeking personal profit through wood smuggling and deforestation have “girded their loins” to destroy this national capital.
Incompetence and misplaced priorities
While the regime allocates billions to its nuclear and missile programs, its response to environmental disasters is defined by a stunning lack of resources. It is no accident that Iran, with 11 million hectares of forest, possesses not a single independent firefighting helicopter. Every year, the authorities wait until the forests have turned to ash before renting helicopters from Turkey or Russia, often with a delay of several days.
In the 20,000-hectare Chaharbagh region, only one or two rangers are assigned to patrol the area. These personnel lack radios, vehicles, fireproof clothing, and even sufficient water to extinguish fires. In the case of the Elit fires, environmental activists have questioned why it took ten days for the government to deploy an Ilyushin aircraft to the scene.
The shrinking green map of Iran
The scale of the devastation is historic. According to experts, the area of the Hyrcanian forests has plummeted from 3.5 million hectares in the 1950s to less than 1.6 million hectares today. In just six decades, more than half of these invaluable forests have been lost due to what critics call “unwise simplification” and plunder.
The continued burning of the Hyrcanian forests is not due to a budget deficit, but rather the result of the regime’s criminal priorities. The national wealth that should be protecting Iran’s environment is instead funneled into suppression and propaganda. This environmental massacre has cemented the legacy of Khomeini and Khamenei in the minds of the Iranian people as the destroyers of the nation’s “generation and land.”