Power Outages; Rouhani ‘Apologizes’ to the People, Raisi Demands Report from Energy Minister

As public protests escalate across various parts of Iran due to repeated blackouts, Hassan Rouhani, who is in the final weeks of his presidency, said on Tuesday, the 15th of Tir, that in his view, his government’s Energy Ministry “is not responsible in this regard”.

The Iranian president, in a move that is rarely seen among Islamic Republic officials, stated: “Of course, I apologize to the dear people who have suffered hardship and distress in these days”.

Rouhani, speaking at an industrial facility inauguration ceremony, attributed the situation to “severe heat and drought”, the temporary shutdown of Bushehr nuclear power plant, and the “increase” in the country’s industrial production, saying: “Of course, there are other reasons, and I have ordered the First Vice President to identify and resolve the problems and solutions to this issue”.

He did not provide clarification on the “other reasons,” but since December of last year, after widespread power outages in several cities, it was announced that cryptocurrency mining, particularly Bitcoin extraction, and its heavy pressure on the country’s power grid was the main cause of the incident.

Islamic Republic officials refrained from transparent information in this regard, but social media users’ positioning and indirect statements by some officials suggested extensive cryptocurrency mining, especially by Chinese companies in Iran, taking advantage of the country’s cheap electricity.

Since last month, power cuts have created problems for the daily lives of many Iranian citizens.

This situation has caused residents of various cities across the country to gather in front of electricity offices in recent days and chant slogans against Islamic Republic officials, particularly Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Meanwhile, Iranian media have reported that Ibrahim Raisi, the president-elect, expressing “serious concern” about the widespread power outages in recent days, has demanded a report about the Energy Ministry’s measures to prevent the continuation of this situation and ensure the country’s required electricity supply.

According to reports, Reza Ardakanian, the Energy Minister, met and spoke with Ibrahim Raisi at his office on Monday evening.

Source: Radio Farda