Iran President Calls on People to Save Energy

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on his people Saturday to conserve electricity, warning that while there were no shortages at present, the US and Israel aimed to sow “dissatisfaction” among the Iranian people. “We have asked our dear people, who are now ready and present on the ground, a simple request. And that is to reduce their own electricity and energy consumption,” the president said on state TV. “We do not need people to sacrifice for the time being, but we do need to control consumption. Instead of 10 lights, two lights should be turned on in the house — what is wrong with that?” he added. Despite the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, there have been no reported power cuts in Tehran in recent days. Pezeshkian accused Iran’s enemies of hitting infrastructure and imposing a blockade “so that the current satisfaction turns into dissatisfaction”. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to wipe out Iran’s power infrastructure, but has so far not followed through. Even before the current war with the United States and Israel, however, Iran suffered frequent power outages during the winter and summer peaks in demand. According to the International Energy Agency, Iran generates nearly four-fifths of its electricity from burning natural gas, a resource in which it is self-sufficient thanks to vast gas fields. It supplements this with low-quality heavy fuel oil, known as mazout, used at older power stations. Nevertheless, ageing infrastructure, a lack of investment and the impact of fierce international sanctions that cut off access to technology and investment have left the electricity grid unable to cope with demand. Pezeshkian has previously launched several public awareness campaigns to reduce energy use.