In a message marking National Elderly Week, Pezeshkian said estimates indicate that more than 30% of Iran’s population will be elderly by 1430 (2051), warning that there is little time to prepare the necessary infrastructure.

“As a physician, I know well that prevention is always less costly, more humane and more effective than delayed intervention,” he said, calling for early action to address chronic illness, loneliness, poverty, loss of independence and pressure on families and insurance systems.

“The time to prepare for an aging society is when we are not yet elderly,” Pezeshkian stressed.

He called for a national, forward-looking and cross-sectoral aging policy, saying health, housing, transportation, social security, employment, technology and elderly care must be addressed as interconnected issues.

Pezeshkian also called for an integrated national aging data system, revision of the National Document on Older Persons, stronger legal protections for the elderly, expanded care services and caregiver training, and measures to promote the “silver economy,” social participation, age-friendly cities, home-based care and retirement preparedness.