Tehran closes offices and educational centers due to gas shortages due to cold snap

14 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Iranian government has ordered the closure of practically all offices and educational centers in the capital, Tehran, due to the shortage of gas supply to protect against the cold wave that is ravaging the country.

To save energy, all the ministries, institutional headquarters, schools, institutes and universities will remain closed this Saturday, as explained by the office of the lieutenant governor, Qadratulá Shafiqi, in a statement picked up by the Iranian state broadcaster, IRIB.

Only banks and emergency services will remain open, adds the note.

According to the Iranian Oil Ministry, gas consumption has recently increased by around 30 percent compared to the same period last year. To overcome the “critical situation”, the authorities have asked the population to carry out a self-restriction exercise.

The measures have aroused, according to the DPA agency, strong criticism among the population, outraged at the fact that a country like Iran, which has the second largest gas reserves in the world, has been unable to combat a cold wave .

Iran has huge oil and gas reserves, but the infrastructure of the facilities is antiquated. Due to international sanctions, the government of President Ebrahim Raisi does not have enough money to expand and renovate the facilities.