Parliament to review lethal force law for park rangers amid rising casualties
Iran’s Parliament is to review legal reforms concerning the use of firearms by environmental enforcement officers, following a sharp rise in deadly confrontations between park rangers and armed poachers, the country's top environmental protection official said on Friday.
The move was announced by Brigadier General Reza Rastegar, commander of the Protection Unit of Iran’s Department of Environment, after a closed-door session with Parliament’s Legal and Judicial Committee in Tehran, IRNA reported.
He said a joint legal team was formed to revise provisions of a 1994 law governing the use of weapons by military and security forces, which also applies to rangers.
The law, initially drafted for armed forces in wartime conditions, sets strict criteria for opening fire — including verbal warnings and warning shots — even when rangers face armed threats. Environmental officials argue the statute is outdated, given the evolving nature of threats to protected areas and personnel. Proposed amendments seek to enhance legal protection for rangers and reduce their exposure to prosecution in cases of self-defense.
“The goal is to strike a fair balance between citizen safety and the responsibilities of armed officers,” Rastegar said, calling the reform “a national security necessity.”
Iran has one of the world’s highest ranger mortality rates. At least 121 park rangers have been killed in the line of duty, according to official data. Over 379 rangers have been permanently injured or disabled in similar confrontations, some facing life-altering trauma.
“The imbalance between law enforcement responsibilities and legal protection has turned our rangers into moving targets,” said a senior official involved in the legislative effort, noting that fewer than 40 fallen rangers have been recognized as martyrs by the government.
Under current rules, rangers are barred from using firearms unless directly fired upon. As a result, many are killed or injured before they can act. “It’s not just about defending wildlife anymore — it's about survival,” said a conservation analyst in Tehran.
Iran employs roughly 3,500 park rangers to patrol millions of hectares of protected land, meaning each ranger is responsible for over 10,000 hectares — more than double the international standard.