TEHRAN: Iran has ordered schools and public buildings in a third of the country’s provinces, including Tehran, to close on Saturday, as several power plants remain shut down by fuel shortages.

Despite Iran’s huge oil and gas reserves, the country hit by years of international sanctions has been forced to ration electricity in recent months as sub-zero temperatures have prompted a surge in demand that its ageing power stations have been unable to meet.

The closures ordered on Friday include the capital Tehran as well as the Shia Muslim shrine city of Qom, Kurdistan in the west and Mazandaran and Ardabil on the Caspian coast. The decision was taken “because of the cold and to manage electricity consumption,” the official IRNA news agency said.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2025