VOICES FROM IRAN

‘Life has become hell’: Iranians struggle with power and water cuts

Two Iranian men sit outside their mobile phone shop, lit only by an emergency light, as a power outage darkens the street.
Two Iranian men sit outside their mobile phone shop, lit only by an emergency light, as a power outage darkens the street.

Persistent electricity outages are wreaking havoc on daily life across Iran, according to dozens of citizen reports collected by Iran International as part of a campaign documenting the human cost of the country’s deepening energy crisis.

Residents from Tehran, Pardis, Gorgan, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and other cities have described widespread blackouts, water cuts and economic losses as the country struggles with an electricity shortfall now estimated at nearly 20,000 megawatts.

Iran’s nominal power generation capacity stands at around 94,000 megawatts (MW), but only 62,000 MW is actually operational. The gap is due to the decommissioning of aging thermal plants and reduced output from hydroelectric facilities amid ongoing drought conditions.

In video and text messages submitted to the campaign, citizens recounted the fallout from unannounced power cuts. "There’s no electricity, so the water pumps stop working. Life becomes impossible. You can't even flush the toilet," said one resident who filmed a sudden blackout in his building.

In the town of Pardis near Tehran, where many buildings rely on wall-mounted heating systems and electric water pumps, residents described being trapped in high-rise apartments without water or elevator access. “The heating system stops, the water doesn't come up to the 14th floor, and the elevator doesn't work. Elderly residents are stuck. It’s torture,” one woman said.

Power outages, which traditionally peak during summer, began unusually early this year in mid-May after Iran's national electricity company, Tavanir, warned of rising temperatures and lower hydropower capacity due to drought.

“We’re returning to the Middle Ages,” said a resident from Gorgan, who reported a 48-hour gas outage alongside electricity cuts.

Small businesses in danger

The outages have paralyzed small businesses, with several owners saying they cannot meet customer demands or preserve equipment.

A carpenter from Yazd said his workshop bought two generators, both of which caught fire. “The generators were substandard, and when they burned, they destroyed a large part of our equipment,” he said. “Each generator cost hundreds of millions of tomans. Now we have nothing.”

Another business owner, a carpenter, lamented the daily disruption. “Because of the repeated power cuts, I can’t complete orders on time. Customers get angry. It’s a constant battle of nerves,” he said.

Damage to home appliance

Residents also reported widespread appliance damage due to power surges. “Our washing machine board burned out last year and we still haven’t been able to replace it,” one person wrote.

Another said a refrigerator was destroyed: “It cost us 12 million tomans (about $150) to fix. Who’s going to pay for that?” The average monthly income in Iran is about $150.

Power cuts are pushing some households and businesses to divert limited funds toward emergency power solutions instead of long-term development.

“People are spending their capital on diesel for generators. That’s their only ask now—just give us fuel,” one analyst told Iran International.

But many families lack access to backup power altogether. One resident wrote: “We live in an apartment, and when the power goes, there’s no water. You go to the electricity office, and it’s shut. Go to the bank, and you have to wait two hours until power is restored.”

Beyond the physical toll, citizens described a growing sense of despair and hopelessness. “Life has lost all meaning,” one wrote. “This is Iran, the looted land. We are people still waiting for a savior instead of changing our fate.”

Iran, which possesses some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves, has long faced criticism for underinvesting in its power grid and renewable energy infrastructure.

Officials have attributed part of the electricity shortfall to illegal cryptocurrency mining, which Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said now consumes over 1,000 megawatts—roughly 5% of the national deficit.

Still, many believe mismanagement is the root of the crisis. “I wish electricity was the only problem,” one message read. “The whole system is rotten from the root. The government and the country are both decayed and broken.”

The campaign, titled Crisis Line, continues to collect stories from across the country, painting a picture of an energy grid in freefall—and a population increasingly exhausted.

“Nothing works. No electricity. No water. No internet. No peace,” said one resident. “This is already hell.”