Shana� Head of the Department of Environment (DoE) Masoomeh Ebtekar has lauded the Rouhani Administraiton for successfully curtailing production of toxic fuel by petrochemical facilities in Iran in a bid to save the people from choking pollution in big cities.

"Such a big achievement saved citizens of the metropolitan cities, especially Tehran, not to breath in the cancerous benzene," Ebtekar told a TV program.

She said, "To remove air pollution, planning is needed. Removing environment and air pollution related problems will take time."

She said since the year 1393 (2014-15), government managed to stop distribution of fuel produced by petrochemical facilities and distribute the euro 4 gasoline in metropolitan cities instead.

Tehran, the capital city of Iran, suffers from a severe air pollution, and it is located near three major fault lines, while being the most populous region of the country. The officials have created financial incentives to encourage around 5 million citizens to leave the city.