GDYNIA, Poland � Iran plans to use European technology to reduce emissions and improve the quality of life in Tehran and other major cities now that the western sanctions against the Islamic Republic are lifted, Tehran Deputy Mayor Maziar Hosseini told New Europe.

�We have started to negotiate with European companies,� he said. �We�re interested to coming back the new technologies to our country and making a new hub for the European cities in the Middle East and West of Asia,� Hosseini said on the sidelines of the CIVITAS forum 2016 �Shaping the mobility of tomorrow�.

He said Iran values the experience of the European cities in the field of transport and that they share the same main attitude of �making better cities with higher mobility and making the cities a better place to live. Over 75 percent of the population in Iran is living in cities�.

Regarding the major air pollution problem in Tehran, Hosseini said there are very specific projects in progress at the moment. �For example, the LEZ � low emission zones � started from the end of September and we try to change the standards. For example, we switched from the diesel buses to Euro 4 with the filter and I think that in near future we are going to Euro 6. We also have some changes from the percentage of the public transportation from 40 percent and in the near future we are going to 45 percent,� Tehran�s Deputy Mayor said.

The Iranian government and the Mayor of Tehran want to tackle the pollution problem and �are very interested about clean and safe public transportation and I think it�s a transitional route for us,� Hosseini said.

He said that there is an effort to change the people�s mentality to increasingly use public transport in the major Iranian cities. �Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, we�re an oil-rich country and the fuel cost is very cheap and they like to use their private cars. This is a big challenge for the future for us,� Hosseini quipped.

By New Europe