At least 26 people have died in Iran after consuming alcoholic beverages contaminated with toxic methanol, state media reported late Wednesday. The deaths occurred across several provinces, raising concerns about the ongoing dangers of illegal alcohol production and consumption in the Islamic Republic.
The official IRNA news agency said the fatalities were recorded in various cities and towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan, as well as the western province of Hamadan. The poisonings also led to hundreds of hospitalizations, though the exact source of the tainted alcohol remains unclear.
Alcohol consumption has been generally prohibited in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought hardline Islamists to power. Despite the ban, many Iranians obtain alcoholic drinks from bootleggers or produce them at home for personal consumption, often risking contamination with toxic substances like methanol.
“These tragic incidents persist due to the lack of regulation and quality control in underground alcohol production,” said a Tehran-based health official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The recent deaths are part of a troubling trend in Iran. In 2020, toxic alcohol claimed the lives of more than 700 people in the country. Experts attribute the rise in alcohol poisonings to the ongoing prohibition, which drives production underground, and economic hardships leading some to seek cheaper, often dangerous alternatives.
While Iran has dozens of alcohol factories that produce pharmaceutical and cleaning products, both imported and locally made alcoholic beverages are available on the country’s black markets.
