Fact check: How many cities in Iran have a population over 1 million?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, Iran has 6 cities with populations exceeding 1 million people ^[1]. A more recent source from June 2025 provides specific examples of Iranian cities with over one million residents, listing Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Karaj, Qom, and Ahvaz - which actually suggests 8 cities rather than 6 ^[2]. However, this second source does not provide definitive population figures or confirm that all listed cities actually exceed the one million threshold.

The most reliable figure comes from the World Population Review, which specifically states that Iran has 6 cities with more than a million people ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important contextual information:

• Population growth dynamics: Iran's urban population has been rapidly expanding, meaning the number of million-plus cities may change frequently
• Data collection challenges: Population figures in Iran may vary depending on whether they include metropolitan areas or just city proper boundaries
• Recent demographic shifts: The discrepancy between sources (6 cities vs. 8 named cities) suggests ongoing population changes that could affect the count ^{[1] [2]}
• Definition variations: Different sources may use different criteria for defining city boundaries, which significantly impacts population counts

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it is simply asking for factual information. However, the conflicting data between sources presents potential issues:

• One source provides a definitive count of 6 cities ^[1], while another lists 8 specific cities without confirming their exact populations ^[2]
• The third source was deemed irrelevant and appears to contain error messages rather than useful data ^[3]
• Data reliability concerns: The variation between sources suggests that population data for Iranian cities may be inconsistent or outdated, making it difficult to provide a definitive answer without more recent, comprehensive demographic surveys

The question would benefit from specifying a reference year and clarifying whether metropolitan areas or city proper populations are being considered.