Economist Linked to Behdaripour Says 'It May Be' That We Have Electricity Only Three Days a Week

Hosseini Abdeh Tabrizi, an economist and professor at Sharif University, has warned of a potential 'super crisis' in the energy sector, stating that 'we may reach a point where we only have electricity three days a week or gasoline for two days a week, and the rest of the days we won't work.' Abdeh Tabrizi, who was introduced as a key member of Masoud Behdaripour's economic team during the elections, emphasized in response to a question from the 'Eghtesad 100' website about the root cause of energy imbalance: 'Raising electricity prices will not solve the problem and is not the starting point.' According to Abdeh Tabrizi, the economic welfare of the people will decline from its current state. He stressed: 'The issue is not that if we continue this way, the same situation will be maintained; we may even reach a point where we only have electricity three days a week or gasoline for two days a week, and the rest of the days we won't work. Our health standards may worsen from what they are now, and universities may become weaker.' Warnings about the intensification of imbalances, including in the energy sector and even wages against household costs, are seen by experts as overdue, and they believe the situation has already crossed the warning threshold. Meanwhile, Behdaripour's government has only attempted to manage the economy through price increases in the early months of its activity, which many experts believe has led to worsening living conditions for the people. In this context, the First Vice President of the government stated on Sunday, December 23, in a meeting of the 'Market Regulation Headquarters': 'Some price increases are global, and we have no choice but to adjust prices.' Mohammad Reza Aref also claimed that while maintaining the livelihood of 'the masses, we will make necessary price adjustments.' An economic journalist reacted to Mohammad Reza Aref's statements by saying to Voice of America: 'The prevailing trend in people's livelihoods, the increase in the dollar price, the unregulated rise in food prices, the increase in electricity and gas tariffs, and the impending increase in gasoline prices do not align at all with the First Vice President's claim of maintaining the livelihoods of the masses.' Reza Ghaibi pointed to the government's currency policies and the official dollar rate in the commercial currency market rising above 63,000 tomans, stating: 'The government is living in a mistaken atmosphere in the country's economy, and the realization of Abdeh Tabrizi's warnings and the emergence of a super energy crisis in the country is very likely.' According to Ghaibi, governments in the Islamic Republic's governance act as a 'crisis committee,' merely dealing with daily issues and having no plans for sustainable development and the future of Iran, which is the main cause of the current situation. Protests from a furniture manufacturer about power outages: What answer should I give to workers and customers? Power outages in Behbahan and performing surgery by candlelight in one of the city's hospitals. A citizen's protest in Isfahan about power outages: What kind of business situation is this? A citizen's protest about power outages in Rasht: Khamenei will pay for all this suffering. Over 80% of Iranian households live below the global poverty line. Livelihood protests in several cities in Iran; welders in Tehran went on strike.