An Iranian flag flutters in front of the Iranian Consulate, where Iranian diplomats meet counterparts from Germany, Britain and France for renewed nuclear talks, amid warnings that the three European powers could trigger "snapback" sanctions outlined under the 2015 deal, in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 25, 2025.(Credit: AFP.)
Iranian authorities ordered many government offices to close on Wednesday in a bid to cut power consumption as a heatwave strains generating capacity, state media reported.
At least 15 of Iran's 31 provinces will see public offices either shut or operating on reduced hours, the official IRNA news agency said.
Provinces affected include West Azerbaijan and Ardabil in the northwest, Hormozgan in the south, and Alborz in the north, as well as the capital Tehran.
Tehran governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said the closures came at the request of the energy ministry and were intended to "manage energy consumption in the water and electricity sectors", state television said.
Emergency and frontline services will remain open, it added.
Elevated temperatures that began in mid-July have strained Iran's power grid, prompting rolling blackouts nationwide as temperatures topped 50C in the south.
Authorities in Tehran have also reduced mains water pressure to manage falling reservoir levels, as the country endures what Iranian media have described as the worst drought in a century.
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