Faced with myriad problems including gridlocked traffic and a sinking earth surface in its current capital, Iran is considering a drastic solution -- moving it to an altogether different location on the Gulf of Oman.

Though the idea of moving the capital has cropped up on various occasions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the proposals were repeatedly shelved as unrealistic due to the massive financial and logistical hurdles.

But reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office in July, has recently revived the idea, citing Tehran's growing challenges.

These include traffic snarls, water shortages, resource mismanagement, extreme air pollution, as well as subsidence -- the gradual sinking of land mass due to either natural processes or human activity.

In January, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the authorities were studying the possible relocation.

"The Makran region is being seriously considered," she said, without specifying a timeline.

Makran is a largely undeveloped coastal area on the Gulf of Oman, stretching across Iran's southern, impoverished Sistan-Baluchistan province and part of neighbouring Hormozgan province. It has repeatedly been touted as a frontrunner for the move.

"The 'lost paradise' of Makran must be transformed into the future........

© Al Monitor