Iran's Deputy Minister of Interior for Administrative Development and Human Resources has provided information regarding the division of the country into five administrative regions. According to Javad Nasirian, under the new plan, the provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Ardabil, Gilan, and Kurdistan will be part of Region 3.
In an article published on June 23, Arman newspaper stated that the new plan would be implemented with certainty. According to Arman, under the new system, provincial governance will be replaced by regional administration.
In an interview with Tasnim News Agency, the Deputy Minister did not provide details about the political aspects of the new administrative system or what changes would be made to the executive authority of the current provincial officials.
Reports indicate that regular meetings are being held between government representatives and officials from provinces that will be part of the same administrative region to discuss the new divisions.
Javad Nasirian stated that proximity, geographic position, and shared characteristics between provinces were considered in the divisions. However, he did not specify what these shared characteristics entailed.
The ethnic composition of provinces has not been taken into account in the new administrative system.
According to the data from the “Supreme Council of Culture,” the provinces of Qazvin and Hamedan, where the majority of the population is Turkish, are not included in Region 3 along with the other Azerbaijani provinces but are instead placed in Regions 1 and 4. Additionally, the Kurdish-majority provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are not included in the same administrative region.
The administrative center of Region 3 is reported to be located in East Azerbaijan province.
The information regarding the new administrative system has become a topic of discussion among Iran's political groups, especially federalism advocates.
Link to the original news in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Nazir müavini: İran 5 idari bölgəyə bölünür