Extreme Heat, Sanctions, and Aging Infrastructure Hit Simultaneously: "A Resource-Rich Nation Facing Blackouts" — The Climate and Political Factors Behind Iran's "Energy Crisis"

Extreme Heat, Sanctions, and Aging Infrastructure Hit Simultaneously: "A Resource-Rich Nation Facing Blackouts" — The Climate and Political Factors Behind Iran's "Energy Crisis"

"Why do the lights go out in a country with oil and gas?"—This simple question arises when discussing Iran's energy crisis. Despite being one of the world's leading resource-rich countries, shortages of electricity and gas are becoming less of an "exception" and more of a "seasonal event." In winter, the demand for heating prioritizes gas for households, leaving insufficient fuel for power plants. In summer, the extreme heat leads to full operation of air conditioning, exposing the limits of the power grid. Climate factors such as droughts and heatwaves further strain the electricity system, making the tightrope walk even narrower.


1) The Crisis Centered on "Gas Dependency" and "Old Systems"

Iran's electricity is primarily thermal, with a significant reliance on natural gas as fuel. However, this gas becomes severely strained due to the sudden increase in household demand during winter. Compounding the problem is the "excessively low energy prices" due to subsidies. The more prices are suppressed, the weaker the incentive to conserve, leading to increased demand. Meanwhile, sanctions, lack of investment, and policy opacity make infrastructure renewal difficult, and the efficiency of aging power plants and transmission networks is hard to improve. As a result, the pattern of "demand increases, but supply capacity growth cannot keep up" becomes entrenched.


This "structural problem" does not end with merely increasing the frequency of blackouts. Factories are forced to halt operations or adjust their activities, and urban life becomes fragile as services dependent on electricity, such as elevators, refrigeration, medical equipment, and communication, are compromised. In other words, blackouts are not just "inconvenient" but approach "societal dysfunction."


2) When Gas Runs Short, the Air Gets Polluted—The Price of Mazut

The "last resort" for power plants facing fuel shortages is high-sulfur heavy oil (mazut). While it can be burned as a substitute for natural gas to generate electricity, its high sulfur content and other impurities easily lead to worsening air pollution. Reports indicate that pollution has become severe in various areas, including Tehran, exposing people to harmful smog.


The important point here is that the energy crisis and environmental crisis are not "separate issues" but are tied together by the same thread. Lack of gas leads to burning dirty fuel, worsening air quality, increasing health damage and social dissatisfaction. Moreover, on days when pollution is severe, outdoor and economic activities are restricted, reducing urban productivity. Energy shortages erode economic power, deplete investment capacity, and further delay infrastructure renewal—a vicious cycle begins.

3) Climate Change Shakes Both "Demand" and "Supply"

In the world of energy, climate change manifests as a dual pressure. First, prolonged heatwaves cause a surge in air conditioning demand, consuming the surplus capacity of power facilities. Second, as droughts progress, water resources are strained, destabilizing power generation (especially hydroelectric), cooling water, and urban life itself. In Iran, it is continuously reported that water shortages and heat are affecting living infrastructure, running parallel to the energy crisis and eroding daily life.


In other words, climate fluctuations both "increase electricity use" and "make electricity harder to produce." This "squeeze from both sides" exposes the vulnerability of the energy system, independent of the abundance of resources.


4) How Are Residents Perceiving It: "Anger, Irony, and Urgency" Overflowing on Social Media

Reactions on social media appear to be divided into three layers.


(A) Anger and Distrust Over "Being a Resource-Rich Country"
Frequent in posts about blackouts and gas shortages is the question, "Why can't basic infrastructure be maintained in one of the world's leading resource-rich countries?" Voices questioning the government's capability and priorities, citing subsidies, policy failures, corruption, and lack of investment, are strong.


(B) Backlash Against "Dirty Fuel" and Health Concerns
Every time reports about mazut combustion emerge, concerns like "Are we sacrificing air for electricity?" and "Children and the elderly are suffering" spread. Photos of smog and complaints of health issues pile up, and emotions become sharper as the crisis becomes "visible."


(C) Calls for Solutions: Discussions That Energy Conservation Alone Is Not Enough
When the government calls for power saving and consumption restraint, there is often a backlash that "while power saving is necessary, it alone will not solve the problem." Posts demanding "structural reforms" such as updating the power grid, improving power generation efficiency, renewable energy and decentralized power sources, and revising the pricing system increase.


Furthermore, in early March 2026, the topic of communication shutdowns raised the temperature on social media. Monitoring group NetBlocks reported that connectivity in Iran had dropped to "about 1% of normal," indicating a severe shutdown.

 
When communication drops, sharing information about blackouts, checking the safety of family members, shopping, and making payments become difficult. Bloomberg reported that people are trying to circumvent the shutdown using Starlink terminals and VPNs to deliver images and information externally.

 
When "electricity and communication become unstable simultaneously," residents' anxiety increases exponentially. On social media, voices appear saying, "The inability to communicate itself is terrifying," and the crisis shifts from an infrastructure issue to a human security issue.


5) What This Crisis Indicates: It's "Operational Capability," Not Resources, That Illuminates a Nation

The lesson from Iran's case is that the abundance of resources does not directly guarantee stable supply. While cheap energy supports life in the short term, if it leads to overconsumption and lack of investment, it becomes a seed of supply insecurity in the long term. Climate change introduces "increased demand" and "supply constraints" simultaneously, exposing vulnerabilities. Ultimately, blackouts remain in society as a "shared realization" that bundles dissatisfaction with the economy, health, and politics.


From the outside, this may appear as a "domestic issue in Iran." However, tensions in the Middle East ripple through the energy market worldwide, actually affecting European gas and oil prices.

 
Domestic instability and international market instability are not occurring separately. The instability of Iran's "lights" casts a shadow on the world's "prices" and "supply insecurity."


There is not a single exit from the crisis. However, at the very least, the stage where "power saving" alone will suffice is passing. Ensuring fuel, updating power generation and transmission, redesigning pricing systems, and adapting to climate change—unless multiple prescriptions are run simultaneously, the seasons of darkness and smog will repeat.


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