Iran is facing a dire energy crisis, forcing schools, colleges, governmental offices, and shopping malls to operate at a reduced capacity, according to a Saturday New York Times report.
The report cited multiple reasons for the situation, including the sanctions imposed on Iran and an Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic.
According to the NYT, citing an official from the country's Petroleum Ministry and Hamid Hosseini, a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s energy committee, a covert Israeli attack last February, which struck two gas pipes belonging to the Islamic Republic, forced the country to use its emergency gas reserves.
Now, Iran reportedly faces a deficit of some 350 million cubic meters a day, with demands surging with the onset of winter.
“We are facing very dire imbalances in gas, electricity, energy, water, money, and environment,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised speech earlier in December, according to the NYT.
"All of them are at a level that could turn into a crisis," he added.
'A powder keg that can explode'
Hosseini told the NYT that the country was attempting to “contain the damage because this is like a powder keg that can explode and create unrest across the country.”
Chief of the Islamic Republic's Coordination Council of Industries Mehdi Bostanchi labeled the situation "catastrophic," according to the NYT.
According to him, the recent week's deficit could cut production in the country by 30% to 50%, costing it billions of dollars.
“Naturally, the damages from the widespread and abrupt power outage that has lasted all week will be extremely serious for industries,” Bostanchi reportedly noted.