Iran shuts down schools and businesses as energy crisis deepens

Officials in Iran have announced widespread closures of schools, universities, and government offices on Tuesday as Tehran struggles to curb energy consumption amid a worsening winter crisis.

Authorities in Iran have announced widespread closures of schools, universities, and government offices on Tuesday as Tehran struggles to curb energy consumption amid a worsening winter crisis.

The closures are almost universal but the country’s southern regions with milder climate were less impacted as demand for heating are lower.

The crisis follows a summer of nationwide blackouts as Iran's electricity production and distribution systems failed to meet soaring demand. Now, with plunging winter temperatures in the north and west, the government appears equally unprepared to provide adequate heating for millions of citizens.

Heavy snowfall, rain, and worsening air pollution have compounded the challenges in recent days.

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Iranians to shoulder the burden and lower their homes’ temperature — advice that has not gone down well with many.

Efforts to curb consumption include reducing government office hours to 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through February and mandating remote work where feasible. Non-essential businesses have been ordered to close, while shopping centers are required to shut down by 8 p.m. to avoid their gas and electricity supplies cut off.

The closures come amid mounting gas shortages in the gas-rich country, with officials reporting a daily deficit of 350 million cubic meters of natural gas, compounded by a significant shortfall in fuel for power plants.

These deficits have forced more than a dozen power plants offline, intensifying electricity shortages nationwide.

Iran possesses some of the world’s richest energy resources, holding the second-largest natural gas reserves globally, surpassed only by Russia. It also ranks among the top countries in oil reserves.

The chronic energy woes stem from years of underinvestment and the impact of US-led sanctions which have hindered modernization efforts. Mismanagement and inefficiency in the energy sector have further exacerbated the crisis in the oil and gas rich country.