“If necessary, I’ll turn off the lights in my office for Iran” – Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he is willing to give up even his personal comfort to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the country’s industries and production facilities.

TodayPress TV reports, citing Qafqazinfo, that Pezeshkian made the remarks at an event in Tehran.

The president stressed that businesses must not be allowed to scale back operations or halt production. He said that, if necessary, he would even agree to having the electricity in his office cut off and the heating reduced to a minimum.

Pezeshkian noted that every available resource would be mobilised to ensure uninterrupted water, gas and electricity supplies to industrial facilities.

His remarks come amid a worsening energy shortage in Iran. One of the main causes of power outages in the country is the difficulty in supplying fuel to thermal power plants. Natural gas shortages and dwindling stocks of liquid fuel at these plants, which account for a large share of electricity generation, are negatively affecting energy supplies.

With the onset of colder weather, increased gas consumption in residential homes is also reducing the amount of fuel allocated to power plants. As a result, Tehran is experiencing power cuts lasting around two hours every other day. Ageing energy infrastructure and damage to transmission lines amid the war have further exacerbated the situation.