Iran’s energy crisis, partially caused by Israel, has led to shutdowns in industry and government offices

The Iranian government announced widespread closures of schools, universities, and government offices last week as Tehran struggles with a worsening energy crisis amid worsening winter weather. 

Reports from Iran say that over 20 provinces had to close educational facilities and government offices due to electricity shortages. On December 12, unexpected power outages hit the capital city of Tehran, disrupting businesses, transportation, and leaving many people without the power needed for heating their homes. 

The government has implemented fuel rationing to some non-essential businesses, and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian called on citizens to lower the temperature in their homes to help bear the burden. Neither has been favorably received by the public.

With government officials reporting daily gas deficits of 350 million cubic meters of natural gas and other fuels, more than a dozen power plants have been taken offline, contributing to electricity blackouts. 

The winter woes follow a summer of nationwide blackouts in which soaring electricity demand far outstripped the already struggling energy sector’s ability to cope. 

Many are questioning how the country, which is rich in natural gas reserves and oil reserves is experiencing such problems. While years of underinvestment in upgrading the energy infrastructure and years of U.S.-led sanctions have certainly had a significant impact on the current energy crisis in Iran, there appears to be another more recent contributing factor – targeted attacks by Israel on Iran’s natural gas infrastructure. 

In November, Pezeshkian said the country was facing "very dire imbalances in gas, electricity, energy, water, money and environment.” 

“All of them are at a level that could turn into a crisis,” Pezeshkian said in a televised address to the nation. 

According to a report in The New York Times, in February of this year, Israel carried out covert attacks on two major natural gas pipelines in Iran, which caused significant disruption to the country’s energy production. 

At the time, Javad Owji, Iran’s oil minister blamed the attack on an enemy of the state, without specifically naming Israel. 

“The enemy’s plan was to completely disrupt the flow of gas in winter to several main cities and provinces in our country,” he stated. 

The New York Times alleges that the Iranian government drew on strategic gas and oil reserves to cover the shortfall, but did not adequately work to replenish reserves or update infrastructure to account for the loss. 

The damage, coupled with a shift by the Iranian government in recent years to switch electricity generation to natural gas and expand gas lines for home heating and cooking means that the fuel crisis hits the country at a particularly bad time. 

Still reeling from military blows inflicted by Israel on its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas, the Islamic regime is now dealing with an energy crisis from targeted Israeli strikes meant to exacerbate public discontent with the government. 

Iranian opposition media groups reported demonstrations in several Iranian cities starting on December 16 and continuing for several days, protesting the energy cuts and blackouts. 

Protests in Isfahan, Mehrshahr Karaj, and Tehran called for the collapse of the Islamic Regime, with some protesters holding signs saying, “Death to the dictator, death to Khamenei.”  

Calling for continued protests, one demonstrator in Tehran chanted, “Every night we will gather until this regime falls!” 

With winter tightening its grip, the government’s failure to provide heating and electricity threatens to increase public discontent for the regime already beset with rising resentment over what the public says are misplaced priorities.