Schools in Many Provinces of Iran Closed Due to Cold Weather and Gas Shortages

With the drop in temperatures across Iran, officials from 15 provinces announced that schools in these provinces are closed for "energy consumption management." Schools in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Tehran, North and South Khorasan, Zanjan, Semnan, Qazvin, Qom, Kermanshah, Golestan, and Mazandaran have been declared closed and non-attendance for Sunday, December 25. Schools in Khuzestan province have also been closed due to air pollution and a red alert for dust storms. Government offices and institutions have also been declared closed in most of these provinces, with only two provinces, Semnan and Golestan, starting their operations two hours late. Provincial officials attributed these closures to the "arrival of a rain system and cold air mass into the country and the need for energy consumption management." A few days ago, Saeed Tavakoli, CEO of the National Gas Company, stated that this year gas reserves are at their lowest level and that the gas shortage situation will worsen in the coming days with a significant drop in temperature. Meanwhile, Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, has urged the public to lower home heating by at least two degrees as winter approaches so that his government can conserve more fuel and distribute it to everyone. The gas shortage in recent years has become a serious challenge in Iran, and it was recently announced that there is also a shortage of mazut. A few days ago, Mohsen Zabihih, Deputy for Distribution Coordination at Tavanir Company, cited "insufficient fuel delivery to power plants" as the reason for power outages in various regions. Widespread power outages have returned to Iranian cities, even though less than three weeks ago the Ministry of Energy announced the "end of power outages" and the resolution of the fuel crisis for power plants. Power cuts have multiple consequences, including water outages in residential buildings, and a few days ago, the Ministry of Communications announced that internet disruptions were due to power outages. On the other hand, many social media users criticized the mismanagement of unplanned and unannounced power cuts, as well as the delay in announcing school closures. On Saturday, despite some provinces announcing school closures for the following day, there was no announcement from the Tehran governorate until late Saturday evening when the news was finally released. This criticism had also been raised in previous days. Over the past ten days, the air quality index in Tehran has been recorded as unhealthy or very unhealthy for all.