Death to Khamenei Slogans Amid Power Outages in Tehran; Protests in Tabriz After Days of Water Cuts

As reports emerge about power outages in various regions of Iran, including Tehran, social media users are reporting public protests against the Islamic Republic and chanting anti-government slogans. According to reports received by Voice of America and published in some Iranian media, in the 24 hours leading up to Monday, August 7, electricity was repeatedly cut in several areas of the center, west, east, and north of the capital, including Ferdows Boulevard, Janatabad, Shahrian, Pasdaran, and Haft Tir. The newspaper Shargh emphasized in a report on Monday that 'the power outages in Tehran are not limited to a few neighborhoods,' raising the question of whether 'the Ministry of Energy has started power rationing again.' Some industry activists have previously stated that responsible officials are causing damage to businesses by cutting power to industrial parks. In this context, a group of social media users reacted to the power outages and published citizen reports about them. Protests against power outages have coincided with rising bread prices in 13 provinces and water cuts in some areas. Based on some videos attributed to the power outages in Tehran, a group of citizens chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic, including 'Death to Khamenei' and 'Death to the child-killing regime,' at the same time as the power went out in the capital. Abuzar Zaman, a civil activist, tweeted, 'One minute after the power went out, the sound of slogans rose in the area after several months.' Meanwhile, citizen reports from Tabriz indicate that after several consecutive days of water cuts in some areas of East Azerbaijan province, a group of citizens protested in the streets on the evening of Monday, August 7, chanting in Turkish, 'We want water to drink.' Political activist Reza Mazaheri also noted the rising bread prices in 13 provinces, stating, 'Many cities are without electricity. About half of Tehran has no electricity. Water has been cut off in Tabriz and several other cities. I am sure it will eventually start from a place no one expects.' Journalist Javad Heydarian emphasized that 'the power cut in most areas of Tehran was very frightening,' tweeting, 'Everything seems concerning to me. The country's infrastructure has collapsed, and we are not witnessing effective management. The outlook is not bright but rather dark in my opinion.' Journalist Ehsan Badaghi also pointed out the simultaneous cut of VPNs with the power outage. Masoud Youssefnejad, editor-in-chief of the website Zoomit, criticized the current situation as 'shameful,' writing, 'They have forced everyone to bring their services inside the country,' thus imposing 'a thousand and one costs' on them, but 'they cannot provide power for a data center.' Previously, coinciding with the announcement of a two-day nationwide holiday in Iran, Marzieh Mahmoudi, editor-in-chief of Tejarat News, tweeted that the reason for the holiday is not the heat, and 'the regional superpower has no electricity.' A journalist residing in Iran stated on June 20 in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the country is in a situation similar to 'the Soviet Union in the years close to its collapse.' With the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in the custody of the morality police approaching, there are concerns among Islamic Republic officials about the recurrence of nationwide protests. Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, previously described the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests as the 'strongest, most dangerous, and most serious' 'struggle' against the Islamic Republic on a 'global' scale and warned of its recurrence on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.