University Of Tehran Press Pollution 2383-451X 12 1 2026 01 01 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Iran: Challenges, Opportunities, and Its Role in Pollution Management 31 45 105136 10.22059/poll.2025.391423.2823 EN Maryam Ashegh Moalla Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, P.O.Box 14155-6135, Tehran, Iran Saeed Karimi Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, P.O.Box 14155-6135, Tehran, Iran Hamidreza Jafari Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, P.O.Box 14155-6135, Tehran, Iran Naghmeh Mobarghaee Dinan Department of Environmental Planning and Design, Environmental Science Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 03 05 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) plays a crucial role in integrating environmental considerations into national planning and decision-making. However, its successful implementation requires a robust legal, institutional, and financial framework tailored to national conditions. This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of implementing SEA in Iran, emphasizing its potential role in pollution management and sustainable development. Using a qualitative research approach based on Grounded Theory, in total, 12 individuals participated in the study, representing a cross-section of stakeholders from both policy-making and implementation sectors. The findings reveal that SEA’s effectiveness in Iran is hindered by political interference, weak institutional capacity, absence of standardized technical guidelines, deficiencies in legal and executive structures, lack of sustainable financial resources, poor environmental data quality, and inefficient decision-making processes. To address these challenges, eight strategic recommendations are proposed: (1) strengthening legal and executive frameworks, (2) enhancing specialized and organizational capacity, (3) ensuring sustainable financial resources, (4) increasing public participation and awareness, (5) improving environmental data management, (6) continuously updating EIA and SEA methodologies, (7) streamlining execution processes, and (8) establishing technical standards. Implementing these strategies will enhance SEA efficiency, reduce bureaucratic delays, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and improve transparency in decision-making. Furthermore, an improved SEA framework will contribute to reducing air, water, and soil pollution by ensuring proactive environmental risk assessments and integrating sustainability into development policies. This study highlights the urgent need for strategic, multi-faceted reforms to strengthen SEA governance in Iran and ensure its alignment with global environmental standards and pollution management efforts. https://jpoll.ut.ac.ir/article_105136_dc1bcf6103a7890985d61632d148c992.pdf