Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, July 5, 2021—People in Tehran took to the streets on Sunday evening to protest the continued electricity outage caused by poor management and the government's destructive policies.
Rallies took place in different parts of Tehran, including Tehran Pars and Baharestan. The protests quickly took on a political nature as protesters chanted “Down with Khamenei” and “Down with the dictator” and “Down with the Islamic Republic,” calling for the ouster of the ruling mullahs and their supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
July 4 – Tehran, #Iran
Eastern districts
Locals are heard chanting "Down with Khamenei! Down with dictator!" in escalating protests over frequent blackouts reported across the country.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/M6NDT8uYvP— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 4, 2021
Similar protests took place in other cities, including Gonbad Kavoos, Kazerun, Mamasani, Kordkuy.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hailed the protesters. “People can no longer put up with the power cutoffs amid the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.
The mullahs have brought tremendous pressure on the people by destroying #Iran’s infrastructure. There is no solution for so much oppression except for the overthrow of the clerical regime.
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 4, 2021
Officials from Tavanir, the regime’s electricity distribution company, have warned about the possibility of further blackouts in the coming days and weeks. Mohammad Hassan Motevalizadeh, Tavanir’s CEO, has forecasted 2021 to be an “exceptional year” and declared “emergency conditions” for the next month.
The blackouts are taking place while Majlis (parliament) is pursuing a $500-million business opportunity through cryptocurrency mining and exporting electricity to neighboring countries.
In this regard, the state-run Hamdeli newspaper wrote on Monday, “Yesterday was one of the hottest days of summer, and many parts of the capital faced power outages. The people of Tehran are facing electricity blackouts as other news pertains that other parts of the country are also facing blackouts. Yesterday’s blackout in Tehran happened while on Saturday, the electricity went out in many areas for several hours… One of the key issues raised by public opinion is the widespread electricity cutoffs caused by the energy ministry in different parts of the country immediately after the election. But this is not all there is to it. On Saturday night, many parts of Tehran and Alborz were in a power outage, which was out of the declared schedule, and this indicates the mismanagement and lack of planning at the energy ministry.”
Hamdeli also discussed the $500-million plan of the Majlis and wrote, “What is more significant is the new $500 million cryptocurrency plan of the Majlis, which shows that we are just at the beginning of this path, and it won’t be surprising if this crisis continues in future years.”
A few days ago, the Majlis economic commission presented a plan titled “Support for cryptocurrency mining and organization of the national market,” which has caused many worries in regards to the electricity crisis. According to this plan, the Industry, Mines, and Trade ministry will issue permits for cryptocurrency mining farms, and with the cooperation of the economy, oil, energy, and communications ministries, “the cryptocurrency mining farms will provide $500 million in the gross domestic product by 2022.”
This plan is being discussed while, according to recent remarks by the spokesperson of the electricity company had said, “Due to the illegal mining of cryptocurrencies and its high power usage, the electricity industry is under pressure.”
