Schools and government offices closed in Iran's capital and several other cities in the country on Monday as another sandstorm blanketed Tehran and the surrounding region.
State-run TV warned of poor air quality and advised that the elderly, people with illnesses, and children take precautions. Banks and the Tehran Stock Exchange would remain open, the report said.
This is the second time that Tehran shuttered schools and government offices and the fourth bad sandstorm since mid-April. Schools and government offices in Tehran were closed for the first time in May because of a sandstorm. However, schools and offices in the country's west, along the border with Iraq, have closed frequently because of sandstorms.
Tehran is among the most polluted cities in the world. Experts blame poor government policies, desertification, low water levels and climate change for the frequency and intensity of recent sandstorms.
