Rapid urbanization, growing municipal solid waste generation, and limited landfill capacity have made new waste management approaches essential in Iran. Incineration can reduce waste volume under suitable technical, economic, and environmental conditions, but its success depends on waste characteristics, climate, spatial constraints, and investment requirements. This study aimed to develop a national framework for prioritizing Iran's major cities for incineration facilities. The decision alternatives were the provincial capitals and the large cities whose annual waste generation exceeded the minimum feedstock threshold for incineration. They were evaluated with the TOPSIS method, using equal weights, on seven criteria: total waste generation, lower heating value, moisture content, difficulty of access to land and infrastructure, per-capita investment cost, mean annual precipitation, and greenhouse gas reduction potential. The results showed that Babol, Qaemshahr, Sari, and Amol had the highest priority, while Arak, Shiraz, Zanjan, and Khorramabad had the lowest. A direct comparison of waste heating values with international reference thresholds showed that energy recovery from mixed municipal waste was not justifiable in most cities; therefore, incineration of treatment-plant rejects, or incineration solely for volume and mass reduction in land-constrained cities, was found to be the more realistic option for national planning.