Iran is almost paralyzed, with schools, universities, public offices, banks and courts closed in around 20 provinces due to energy shortages and high pollution, despite the fact that the country has the second largest reserves of gas and oil in the world.
At least 20 of Iran's 31 provinces are experiencing some form of energy rationing due to a cold wave that has caused a spike in resource consumption and highlights the energy crisis that the country is facing due to the lack of investment in the sector in recent decades.
The arrival of a cold wave in several regions has caused a daily deficit of 350 million cubic meters of natural gas and a shortage of 50 million cubic meters of fuel in power plants, leading to the closure of operations in at least 17 of them, according to the Tasnim agency.
In Tehran, schools, public offices and banks were closed for the third day in a row on Tuesday, leading to a drop in traffic in the early morning, measures that also seek to reduce air pollution.
In addition to the closure of institutions, two-hour power cuts have been scheduled in districts across the capital of some nine million inhabitants, affecting businesses and causing discontent among the population.
Last week, there were already lockdowns in the capital and other parts of the country due to severe air pollution, another problem affecting the Persian nation for which there is no solution.
In response to this situation, the Government launched the “2 degrees less” campaign last week, aimed at reducing heating consumption in homes.
“I call on all the dear people of the country to reduce the heating in their homes by at least two degrees, and we will save a lot of fuel, so that in this cold snap we can supply energy to all the dear people of our country,” said Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian in a video at the launch of the campaign, dressed in a jacket zipped all the way to the top.
According to analyst Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, this gesture shows that it is easier for the government to "change consumer behaviour" than to tackle the structural problems of the sector.
Batmanghelidj said in a social media post that US economic sanctions are “partly to blame” for the energy crisis by closing the door to investment or access to technology, but he also points to government mismanagement.
An aspect on which economist Mahmud Jamsaz agrees.
“The country’s energy shortage is the result of years of lack of work, negligence and mismanagement by governments,” Jamsaz said.
The analyst explained that in the last 20 years there has been little investment in infrastructure such as oil refineries or power plants, partly because the country does not have the resources and there is no foreign investment given the country's tensions with the West.
Jamsaz warned that this lack of energy and the resulting power cuts will fuel dissatisfaction among the population, already under great pressure from the economic crisis and lack of freedoms.
"New protests can be expected in the country in the near future," he said. EFE
All this happens because of the expense of drones and missiles that they make and 90% of everything is lost,
I agree with the above, billions of dollars spent to maintain proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, to conquer the Middle East, and they don't use that money for their own people. Just like in Venezuela, it seems to me.
Die Welt schaut dem Treiben der Mullahs zu und nichts passiert. These religious wide-ranging Spinners are rich in ganzes Land zugrunde. Es wird Zeit für einen großen Aufstand und einem iranischen Widerstand der jede Nacht diverse Mullahs bestraft für das was dort geschieht. Leider sind es nur die Frauen im Iran die Eier haben; Männermemmen kannst du vergessen