Will the capital relocate?

last updated 8 January 2015

Tehran

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that leveled the ancient city of Bam last month, Iran is considering moving its capital from Tehran to another city. Like Bam, Tehran is located along a major seismological fault. Bam lost as many as 40,000 people, or more than one-third of its population, in the 6.8 magnitude quake. Tehran has 12 million residents, and engineers estimate that 70 percent of its buildings would be destroyed in a similar tremor. Geophysicists have proposed moving the capital to the central city of Isfahan, which was Persia’s capital before the government moved to Tehran in 1788. The Supreme National Security Council, which is debating the pros and cons of a move, said it would announce its decision in March.