TEHRAN – The head of the parliamentary Hope faction has said he and his team will prioritize addressing challenges the metropolis of Tehran is dealing with, including unprivileged outlying areas, air pollution, and retrofitting of old city fabrics, while not being unmindful of the country’s bigger issues. 

Mohammad Reza Aref led the race for parliamentary seats in Tehran in the February elections, where reformist swept all other remaining 29 seats. 
“Tehran and its satellite cities grapple with numerous challenges which need consideration,” he said. 
On the issue of slum-dwellers, the MP said, “Services have been unequally distributed among different areas of Tehran province, creating problems for people.” 
Another problem with the metropolitan is air pollution. “Other industrial cities are experiencing a similar situation when it comes to air pollution.” 
Apart from the above-cited concerns, retrofitting old buildings which are on fragile foundations was emphasized by the figure. 
It is not yet clear how Aref is going to deal with these three domains practically as this is not the first time officials are turning the spotlight on such issues with no tangible outcomes at macro levels. 

AK/PA