Iran's President Suddenly Calls for Electricity Savings – What's Going On?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on his citizens to save electricity. This call serves as a warning that, although there is no current energy shortage, the United States and Israel aim to target Iranian citizens’ dissatisfaction.

“We have asked our people, who are now ready and in the field, for a simple request. That request is to reduce electricity and energy consumption,” the president said on state television, quoted by AFP on Sunday (26/4/2026).

“We do not need to ask people to make sacrifices at this time. But we only need to control consumption (of energy). Instead of turning on 10 lights, only 2 lights should be on at home,” he added.

Apart from the US-Israel bombing campaign against Iran, there have been no reports of power outages in Tehran in recent days.

Pezeshkian accused Iran’s enemies of attacking infrastructure and imposing blockades to increase citizens’ dissatisfaction.

Previously, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to destroy Iran’s electricity infrastructure. However, this has not yet materialised.

However, before the war with the United States and Israel, Iran often experienced power outages during peak demand in winter and summer.

According to the International Energy Agency, Iran generates nearly four-fifths of its electricity from burning natural gas, a resource that can meet its own needs thanks to extensive gas fields.

This is supplemented by low-quality heavy fuel oil (mazout) used in older power plants.

Nevertheless, ageing infrastructure, lack of investment, and the impact of international sanctions that cut off access to technology and investment have caused the electricity grid to be unable to meet demand.