Iran’s energy crisis has worsened in the past few months, with residents denounced the country’s crypto mining operations as the main cause. The energy crisis has led a small group of voices to the streets in demonstrations against the government.
Reports say that Lake Urmia, one of the world’s largest saltwater lakes, has now lost its beauty, and people describe it as a wetland covered in miles of salt. Additionally, nearby towns are also affected, with experts noting that they could be completely dry at the end of this summer.
Iran is struggling with record droughts and water crisis across the country, and the country’s electricity shortage is exacerbating the overall problem. Additionally, the situation is worsened by hot summer months, with temperatures that can reach 40°C. The government buildings are also inevitable. Tehran’s buildings close for several days on a regular basis to save energy, but workers in the capital complain about working conditions.
Iran’s energy crisis deepens
In the coastal town of Babosar, there was a continuous demonstration outside the power plant against constant outages. The demonstration was captured in a video circulating on social media, showing medics inside a local hospital using traditional fans in the heat. Additionally, some cases of darkness enveloped the chemotherapy ward as a result of lack of strength for several days.
Residents and experts have turned their responsibility to the government and claim that their mismanagement has brought this to the country. In the shared video, protesters were heard chanting “water, electricity, life – these are our indisputable rights” and “death of incompetents.”
Hamid, an ice cream seller in the northern town of Homam, noted that the constant halts have been affecting his business. “We were able to tolerate two hours of cuts every day, but then we had no electricity in the store for four hours as the increase was then twice a day. The ice cream was melting and melting from the heat,” he said. He said he was happy to join others to protest outside the governor’s office and was relieved that the blackout had been removed.
As Cryptopolitan previously reported, residents are taking responsibility for the government and accusing the Khamenei government of trying to make money with rare energy. The report accused the crypto mining companies of looting resources while the country passes through one of the most difficult periods with epileptic electricity, claiming that it has linked most of its activities to the Islamic Security Force (IRGC).
The exacerbating energy crisis has also fueled public responsiveness as Iranians seek to recover from the bombings of Israel and America at the beginning of the summer. Both countries targeted the country’s nuclear program, but reportedly killed nearly 1,100 people in Iran. Nuclear power contributes little to the country’s energy supply, with only 2% of the electricity drawn from a single nuclear power plant.
Meanwhile, droughts have now become a major problem, urging Iranian President Masuud Pezeshkian to issue warnings at cabinet meetings. “We are in a serious and unimaginable crisis,” Pezeschkian told officials last week. He also took Iranians to X to blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after ordering Iranians to fight the government for the worsening energy crisis. “Marage, more!” Posted by Pezeshkian on X.
Mohammad Mohebubi, an engineer in Iran’s electricity sector, has accused the government of causing drought. Mohebbi said that about 5% of Iran’s national grid is currently being featured in the IRGC, and the body uses it for crypto mining to avoid international sanctions. Environmental expert Kabe Madani denounces what he calls “water bankruptcy mode,” describing it as a decades-old self-sufficiency push that had previously maximized its abundant resources.
