Air pollution has been a public enemy to millions of Iranians for years. It is no longer surprising news when the government some days shuts down public institutions due to air pollution.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health declared that last year more than 4,400 people lost their lives because of air pollution in Tehran, Iran's capital.

Dusty Tehran

There are several cartoons that have been shared with Iranian netizens about Tehran's pollution. Omid drew a cartoon on Iroon.com to show dusty Tehran.

Omid, Iroon.com

Mana Neyastani did not forget politics in his cartoon on pollution: “Grandfather” says “It's morning again, and I should wake up… all this bad news…executions, prison…” “Grandfather” takes a deep breath to start his day and falls down beside a journal with the headline: “Deadly pollution of Tehran's air”

Mana Neyestani, Mardomak.

Dark City

Here is a video showing a dark polluted Tehran at noon as an airplane lands in Mehrabad's airport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4pzabRHvNb4

No Oxygen

Zeyton, an Iranian blogger, says [fa]:

We used to say there is no place to breathe in this country. By saying this we referred to political and social repression by the regime. But now there is literally no oxygen to breathe. A regime which can not provide oxygen for its citizens claim to export its way of governing to the whole world.

We should not forget that people in many other cities in Iran have become the victims of pollution too, such as the southern city Ahwaz [fa].