Background and objective: Nuclear accidents can have significant consequences in health, social, and economic domains, including harm to public health, destruction of infrastructure, and disruption of economic and social activities. Therefore, identifying and assessing areas at risk of nuclear hazards is essential.
Method: This research aims to rank 10 provinces of the country based on the intensity of nuclear risk using the ARAS multi-criteria decision-making method. The criteria examined include population, presence of nuclear facilities, economic conditions (mother industries and commercial units), urban infrastructure (air transport), and military infrastructure (airbase). Data related to these criteria were extracted from reputable national sources to ensure the highest accuracy of the results.
Results: The findings indicate that the provinces of Isfahan and Tehran rank first and second, respectively, with a higher nuclear accident risk compared to others. Additionally, the provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Markazi, Razavi Khorasan, Qom, East Azerbaijan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan rank third to tenth accordingly.
Conclusion: These findings can serve as a basis for planning and implementing preventive measures against nuclear accidents in at-risk provinces. Among the new aspects of this research, it can be mentioned the application of MCDM methods in the investigation of nuclear incident risks, especially in Iran.