In the midst of war, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urges Iranians to have more children

Iran’s Supreme Leader Calls for Increased Birth Rates

• The Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, made a call on Tuesday, May 19, asking Iranians to increase birth rates.
• The fertility rate in the Islamic Republic dropped from 6.5 in 1979 to 1.7 in 2024.
• Iran, with approximately 92 million inhabitants, is the 17th most populous country in the world.

Mojtaba Khamenei broke his silence to address… birth rates. The Iranian Supreme Leader, who hasn’t appeared in public since his appointment in March, urged Iranians on May 19 to increase births for the country’s benefit.

“By seriously pursuing the appropriate and necessary policy in terms of demographic growth, the great Iranian nation will be able to play a major role and achieve strategic advancements in the future,” he wrote in excerpts from a letter published on social media.

The Iranian leader was responding to a collective letter from civil society groups involved in demographics. “We hope that your dedicated efforts (…) will lead to fruitful results, God willing,” he added in a longer version of his text, broadcast by the public channel, Irib.

The son of the late Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly injured during the first day of the Middle East war, has only published written statements since his appointment.

A Declining Fertility Rate

Iran, with approximately 92 million inhabitants, is the 17th most populous country. However, the fertility rate of Iranian women has spectacularly dropped in recent decades, from 6.5 in 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution, to only 1.7 in 2024, according to World Bank data.

In 2020, an Iranian health official stated that public hospitals and clinics had stopped performing vasectomies or distributing contraceptives to boost demographic growth.

Despite recent US-Israeli attacks, the Tehran regime believes it has emerged stronger from the war, notably by maintaining control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, critical for global oil trade.

To take “great strides towards building the new Islamic-Iranian civilization,” Iranians must promote a “culture of procreation,” Mojtaba Khamenei further emphasized.