Tehran’s Governor Claims: We Have the World’s Safest Capital

While social media networks are filled with videos of phone snatching and theft, Tehran’s governor claimed on Wednesday that Iran’s capital is currently the “safest” capital in the world.

Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Mohsen Mansouri: “We have the safest capital in the region and the world, and security in Tehran ranks highest among regional countries.”

Mansouri continued, without providing a clear definition of security: “We do not have a security problem in Tehran province, and in terms of security indicators we have a desirable situation and are among the secure provinces of the country.”

The Tehran governor’s claim is being released on the 43rd anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s rise to power, even as traces of insecurity in urban life can be found every day on Persian-language social media networks.

Evidence of this insecurity in the urban life of Iranians, particularly in Tehran, can be seen in photos and videos of knife attacks and dagger incidents throughout the city and even in the presence of police, bag snatching and phone theft, and daylight robberies.

At the same time, one can witness accounts from users experiencing such incidents, which are shared daily on social media networks by others.

According to statements by some Iranian police officials, crime statistics, particularly theft and bag snatching, have increased significantly in recent years due to economic pressures resulting from currency price fluctuations, multiple price increases for goods, and rising unemployment rates.

Nevertheless, in late December of last year, the Tehran police chief, in response to a city council member’s announcement of “the existence of 26,000 unsafe spots in the capital,” denied the report while stating that “there are no unsafe areas in Tehran.”

Previously, in 2018, the commander of the greater Tehran police force made a similar claim and dubbed Tehran “the world’s safest capital.”

Source: Radio Farda