Iran faces widening power blackouts after Khamenei funeral

In the weeks following Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s week‑long funeral, Iran has experienced a surge in unannounced electricity outages and voltage fluctuations as extreme summer temperatures strain the national grid. State electricity company Tavanir reported that more than 2,000 network points were damaged during the recent 40‑day conflict, resulting in a loss of about 4,200 MW of generating capacity and damage exceeding 60 trillion tomans. Officials attribute the crisis to heat‑driven demand, which in Tehran alone has surpassed 10,000 MW, and to war‑related damage, though critics point to longstanding underinvestment and mismanagement.

Major cities such as Mashhad and Tehran have seen scheduled residential blackouts and ad‑hoc cuts lasting up to four hours during peak heat hours. Industrial facilities now face two full days of weekly electricity restrictions, with authorities considering further curtailments into evenings and nights. The prolonged shortages threaten industrial output, employment and an economy already burdened by inflation and recession.