The Return of Power Outages in Iran Amid Intense Summer HeatAmid the worsening energy crisis in Iran, Mohammad Bahrami Seyf-Abadi, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Energy Committee, announced a new tiered pricing plan for electricity and gas. He stated that under this plan, each individual will be allotted a quota, and if usage exceeds it, they must pay the full market price of energy. He added: “The core concept of the two-tiered electricity and gas tariff system is based on the ‘energy per person’ model. That means instead of subsidizing consumption, subsidies are assigned to each national ID and individual.” The decrease in electricity consumption during the 12-day war was due to shutdowns, but the regime took credit for it. With the war now over, the shortcomings have once again become evident. Abbas Aliabadi, Iran’s regime energy minister, stated earlier on July 1: “We are trying to reduce nighttime power cuts for the people, and if an issue arises, outages will mostly be implemented during the day.” Amid the scorching summer heat and soaring temperatures in Khuzestan Province, the situation has become unbearable for many residents. The use of diesel generators is no longer limited to bakeries—many businesses have now been forced to rely on them, leading to increased noise and environmental pollution. In previous summers as well, the country faced repeated power shortages—a crisis regime officials refer to as a “supply-demand imbalance.” Experts believe that the main causes of Iran’s electricity crisis—and its shortage of approximately 14,000 megawatts—are lack of investment in the power sector, outdated infrastructure, and underdeveloped power plants.
Power Outages Return in Iran After the 12-Day War
With rising temperatures and a return to normal conditions after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran’s regime, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, the CEO of Tavanir (Iran Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Management Company), announced the resumption of power outages in the residential sector across Iran.
Rajabi Mashhadi stated that electricity demand exceeds supply, and due to the rise in consumption and limited generation capacity, two-hour daily blackouts are being imposed in residential and public sectors. He added that reducing outages depends on reducing electricity usage.
He further said that once the energy shortage crisis subsides, the outages will also decrease.
Severe Air Pollution in Various Cities of Iran
As severe air pollution persists in Tehran and other cities in Iran—including 21 cities in Khuzestan Province that are currently in red and orange alert levels—people are growing increasingly frustrated with the authorities’ continued disregard for public health.
Tehran’s Air Quality Control Company announced on Saturday, July 5, that the air quality index (AQI) in the capital has reached 159, indicating a “red” level of pollution that is unhealthy for the entire population.
Iran’s Health Ministry: 30,692 Deaths Due to Air Pollution Last YearThe company added that over the past 24 hours, the average AQI in Tehran stood at 153, which is dangerous for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and individuals with cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Unhealthy air is denoted with the color red, very unhealthy with purple, and hazardous conditions with brown. Additionally, in the past three days, the concentration of airborne particulate matter in the capital has increased. Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the average air quality index in Tehran over the past 24 hours reached 324, indicating a hazardous level. According to the report, the main pollutant currently affecting Tehran’s air is particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5).
Air Pollution in Other Provinces
According to data from the Air Quality Monitoring System, on July 5, the air in 21 cities of Khuzestan Province was classified as red or orange, while the city of Hamidiyeh reached the purple level, indicating “very hazardous” conditions. Exposure to this level of pollution can result in long-term negative effects, such as lung damage or increased risk of chronic illnesses. Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Fallah-Nejad, Director General of Crisis Management at the Alborz Province Governorate, issued a yellow-level weather warning for the province and urged vulnerable groups—including children, the elderly, and individuals with heart or respiratory conditions—to avoid outdoor exposure. He stated that wind gusts have led to dust storms and increased air pollution in most parts of Alborz Province, adding: “This situation will persist until Sunday evening next week, after which air quality is expected to improve starting Monday.”Environmental Crisis, Air Pollution, and Mismanagement of Iran’s ResourcesThe public relations office of the Department of Environmental Protection in Qom Province announced in a statement that on July 5, the air quality index reached 114, placing it in the unhealthy category. According to the report, more than 24 active dust-producing hotspots have been identified in Qom Province, significantly contributing to the rise in air pollution. The Meteorological Department of Markazi Province also warned that increased easterly wind speeds across the central desert regions of the country are leading to more dust transmission and local dust storms in vulnerable areas of the province. Experts warn that ongoing drought, the expansion of dust storm sources, and an extreme heatwave could make for a critical summer in Iran.
UN Rapporteur Expresses Concern Over Possible Enforced Disappearance Of Evin Prison Detainees
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, published a post on the social media platform X on Friday, July 4, expressing concern about the potential “enforced disappearance” of several political prisoners in Evin Prison, including Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish researcher.
Mai Sato wrote in part of the post: “I continue to receive reports of deteriorating conditions faced by prisoners transferred from Evin Prison to the Great Tehran Penitentiary and to Qarchak Prison after Israeli attacks on its facilities. The whereabouts of some prisoners detained at Evin Prison remain unknown, raising fears of enforced disappearances.” In light of numerous reports of the arrest of hundreds of individuals—including media activists, social media users, journalists, human rights defenders, and foreign nationals such as Afghan migrants, as well as ethnic and religious minorities—she objected to the ongoing wave of arrests on charges of “espionage for Israel.” The UN Special Rapporteur also noted the escalation in executions of prisoners convicted of espionage for Israel or collaboration with hostile states. “I am concerned by official statements announcing expedited trials on accusations of espionage, putting individuals at heightened risk of summary execution or punishment without adequate due process. Equally alarmed by Iran’s Parliament advancing a legislation that would classify intelligence or espionage activities carried out for ‘hostile governments’ as ‘corruption on earth’ – an offence punishable by death.” Mai Sato issued a warning to Iran’s regime: “post-conflict situations must not be used as an opportunity to increase repression against ethnic and religious minorities or suppress dissent.” At the end of her post, she called on the international community to prioritize support for Iranian civil society activists and to provide financial and technical assistance to “independent media and human rights organizations.”Press release: Post-conflict situations must not be used as an opportunity to increase repression against ethnic and religious minorities or suppress dissent. I am alarmed by reports of executions, mass arrests, particularly against of minorities, notwithstanding the impact of…
— Mai Sato (@drmaisato.bsky.social) (@drmaisato) July 4, 2025
Water Tensions In 25 Provinces And 53 Cities Of Iran
According to the state-run Tasnim News Agency, quoting the head of Iran’s Water and Wastewater Company, “25 provinces and more than 53 cities in the country are currently facing water tension.”
Hashem Amini, referring to the recent 12-day war, stated that water outages occurred for several hours in Tehran due to a missile hitting Ghods Square in the Tajrish district, but there have been no other major issues affecting citizens’ access to drinking water.
He emphasized the need for “water consumption management” by consumers and said, “We have introduced emergency plans, and the government has allocated funds for them.”
Hashem Amini described the stabilization and resilience of the drinking water and sanitation network, as well as the preservation of water quality, as a “red line” for his organization, and stated that all efforts by the water and wastewater companies are aimed at minimizing consumer concerns in this area.
Warning About the Possibility of Water Rationing in IranThese claims come as Iranian citizens have continued to report multiple-hour water and electricity outages in various cities across the country on social media, even after the end of the 12-day war. Over the past years, the water crisis has consistently remained a major issue for residents in various provinces, especially in Iran’s western, eastern, and southern border regions. In August 2021, one of the largest protests related to the water crisis took place in Khuzestan province. These protests were met with brutal repression by the regime, resulting in the killing and wounding of several demonstrators.
New U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Oil Network and Hezbollah Financial Entity
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on a network of companies and individuals accused of smuggling billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil by forging documents and falsely labeling it as Iraqi oil. Additionally, a financial institution affiliated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah has also been targeted by these sanctions.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department stated that this smuggling network is led by Iraqi-British businessman Salim Ahmed Said. By blending Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, the network sold it to foreign buyers, primarily through the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, circumventing sanctions. Said allegedly bribed Iraqi officials to produce forged documents and also controls the companies VS Tankers and Oil Terminal, which played roles in smuggling oil and transferring foreign currency to Iran.
The sanctions are based on Executive Orders 13902 and 13224, which target the Iranian regime’s oil sector and terrorism-related activities. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that this move is part of a maximum pressure campaign to cut off the Iranian regime’s financial resources and weaken its destabilizing activities.
Simultaneously, the U.S. State Department has sanctioned six entities and four vessels involved in oil trade with Iran. Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” uses unflagged, sanctioned ships to transport oil from Iran to Asia.
The Singapore-based company Trans Arctic Global Marine Services has also been sanctioned for assisting vessels of the National Iranian Tanker Company in navigating through the Strait of Malacca. Four vessels—VIZURI, FOTIS, THEMIS, and BIANCA JOYSEL—are reported to have transported millions of barrels of Iranian oil.
In the same context, the company Al-Qatirji has facilitated Iranian oil sales on behalf of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Vessels such as ELIZABET, ATILA, and GAS MARYAM have participated in these operations by delivering Iranian oil to global markets under false identities.
In another part of the sanctions, the Treasury Department designated seven senior officials, and one company connected to Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution affiliated with Hezbollah. Through their management roles, these individuals have enabled Hezbollah to access Lebanon’s financial system and evade U.S. sanctions. The move is in support of the new Lebanese government’s efforts to limit Hezbollah’s influence.
The company Tasheelat has also been sanctioned for its role in financing Hezbollah. All assets and transactions related to these individuals and entities within U.S. jurisdiction have been frozen, and any dealings with them are prohibited for U.S. citizens.
Protests Erupt at Funeral of Young Men Murdered by Iran’s Regime
The funeral procession for Mohammad-Mehdi Abaei and Alireza Karbasi, two young men killed by gunfire from Basij forces (a paramilitary wing under the IRGC), was held on Thursday, July 3. Attendees turned the ceremony into a protest against Iran’s regime policies, chanting “Death to the oppressor” and demanding the prosecution of those responsible for their deaths.
During the burial of the two young men killed by security forces in Hamedan, participants chanted “I will kill those who killed my brother.”
A group of attendees also chanted: “Our enemy is right here; they lie when they say it’s America.”
Another video shows attendees at the funeral of the two young men in Hamedan continuing their protest with the chant: “Iranians will die but will not accept humiliation.”
Earlier, following reports of the two young men being killed by regime forces in Hamedan, the state-run Fars News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, confirmed the incident and wrote that it resulted from “security operation forces” shooting at a vehicle carrying three occupants.
Fars reported that regime agents, suspecting a vehicle due to drone activity in the Tarik Darreh area, initially fired warning shots, gave a “halt” order, and then opened fire on the vehicle, resulting in the deaths of two occupants and injury of the third.
The head of the Armed Forces Judicial Organization in Hamedan Province stated that a case has been filed in judicial authorities and field investigations are underway.
The two young men had gone to the outskirts of Hamedan for a nature outing.
In 2024, indiscriminate shootings by military forces across different parts of the country killed at least 163 civilians and injured 321 others.
Following the ceasefire in the 12-day war between Iran’s regime and Israel, security forces have set up checkpoints, holding vehicles for hours and conducting thorough inspections. Reviewing mobile phone contents, creating long queues, deploying machine guns, and even building barricades are part of the heightened security atmosphere now in place.
Some reports indicate that at the entry and exit points of various cities, all passing vehicles are stopped and searched.
Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri, A Political Prisoner in Urmia, Sentenced to Death
The daughter of Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish political prisoner held in Urmia Prison, announced that he has been sentenced to death. Beigzadeh Babamiri was arrested for participating in the nationwide uprising of 2022 in the city of Bukan and for providing medicine and medical aid to those injured during the violent crackdown on protests.
Zhino Beigzadeh Babamiri wrote in a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, July 3: “Dad was sentenced to death.”
She did not specify the charges against her father or the court that issued the sentence, but earlier reports had indicated that Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri had been charged with “baghi” (armed rebellion against the state) in the Revolutionary Court.
Iranian Regime’s Judiciary Announces Execution of 9 PrisonersEarlier, in February 2025, Babamiri had been sentenced to 15 years in prison by Branch One of the Criminal Court in Urmia, in another part of his case, on the charge of “complicity in murder” during the 2022 protests. According to the verdict, in this part of the case, Pejman Soltani, another political prisoner, was sentenced to death for the charge of “ordering the killing of a security officer,” and Ali Ghasemi was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “complicity in murder.” The fourth defendant, Kaveh Salehi, was acquitted of the charges against him. Later, on May 12, Babamiri’s daughter wrote on X that the 15-year prison sentence for her father had been upheld in full by the Appeals Court of West Azerbaijan Province. At the time, she emphasized that her father “was arrested solely for providing humanitarian aid to the wounded” and wrote: “None of the basic rights of an accused person have been respected, even according to the Iranian regime’s own minimal laws.” The 47-year-old farmer is the father of three children—the youngest of whom was only two years old at the time of his arrest. On April 25, 2025, Babamiri wrote a letter from Urmia Prison detailing the torture he endured at the Intelligence Ministry detention centers in the cities of Bukan and Urmia. He stressed that his only “crime” was helping fellow human beings during the protests. In the letter, Babamiri wrote that during 130 days of detention and interrogation, he was subjected to “specialized torture,” including induced suffocation (using water and a bag over his head), mock executions (hanging and firing squad), electric shocks to sensitive areas of his body, and continuous sleep deprivation. In recent months, the rising number of executions, as well as the issuance and confirmation of death sentences against political prisoners in Iran, has sparked a wave of protests both inside and outside the country. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) had previously called on all international bodies and the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn these crimes and hold Iran’s regime accountable.
Pezeshkian Announces Suspension of Iranian Regime’s Cooperation with IAEA
Pezeshkian formally announced the law suspending the Iranian regime’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The law was passed in the regime’s parliament on June 25 and was swiftly approved by the Guardian Council.
The law states: The government is obliged to immediately suspend all cooperation with the IAEA based on the NPT treaty and its related safeguards until certain conditions, including the protection of nuclear facilities and scientists, are met.
Unable to confront the United States and Europe directly, Iran’s regime has targeted the IAEA and its director-general as a perceived weak link, while also seeking to prevent inspectors from discovering the extent of damage caused by American bombings at nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Grossi Warns of Consequences of Attacks on Iran’s Nuclear FacilitiesThe regime also believes that posturing as though it is building an atomic bomb following the suspension of cooperation with the agency is a show of force and a bargaining chip it can use to buy time. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, July 1, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that it is now appropriate to use the word “destruction” regarding the regime’s nuclear sites that were targeted by U.S. attacks, as the IAEA has stated that it is not even possible to enter those locations. Another noteworthy point is that, contrary to previous threats, Iran’s regime has not withdrawn from the NPT but has instead suspended cooperation with the agency. The aim of this contradictory approach is to both project strength and leave the door open for potentially resuming cooperation in future negotiations.
Iranian Regime Hackers Threaten to Release Emails of Trump’s Close Aides
Reuters reported that hackers affiliated with Iran’s regime have threatened to release another batch of stolen emails from the inner circle of Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
These hackers, who operate under the alias “Robert,” had already shared part of these emails with media outlets ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
In online conversations with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hackers claimed they have about 100 gigabytes of emails from the accounts of different US officials.
“Robert” raised the possibility of selling this information but did not provide any specific details about their plans. The group also did not describe the contents of the emails.
“Raising Money for the Assassination of Trump and Netanyahu” by Iranian Regime SupportersThe White House and FBI issued a joint statement through FBI Director Kash Patel, stating that any individual involved in violating national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted. Iran’s regime delegation at the United Nations also did not respond to requests for comment. Tehran has previously denied any involvement in cyber espionage. The identity of “Robert” came to light in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign when the group claimed to have gained access to the email accounts of several of Trump’s allies, including Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff. In an indictment issued in September 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of orchestrating the “Robert” hacking operation. However, in their conversation with Reuters, the hackers declined to comment on this allegation. After Trump’s victory in the election, the “Robert” group told Reuters that they no longer planned to release any information. However, the group became active again after the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran’s regime, which ended with U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. In messages to Reuters this week, “Robert” said they are planning to sell the stolen emails and asked the media outlet to “make it public.” Frederick Kagan, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute and an expert on Iran’s cyber-espionage operations, said Iran’s regime suffered significant damage during the conflict and its intelligence agencies are likely trying to respond in ways that do not provoke stronger retaliation from the U.S. or Israel. Despite concerns about the potential for destructive digital actions by Iran’s regime, hackers affiliated with the regime remained relatively quiet during the recent conflict. On Monday, U.S. cybersecurity officials warned that American companies and critical infrastructure may still be vulnerable to cyberattacks from Tehran.
“Raising Money for the Assassination of Trump and Netanyahu” by Iranian Regime Supporters
Abdolmajid Kharaqani, a cleric supporting Iran’s regime and a religious media activist, announced in an interview with an Instagram-based outlet called “OnNews” that a campaign has been launched on the regime’s domestic social media networks to raise money for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the same interview, he also directly threatened both leaders.
He stated, “Netanyahu and Trump must be killed as leaders of the front of infidelity,” and added, “In European countries, this is done for 20 million dollars.”
These remarks by the regime-affiliated cleric come days after senior Shiite religious authorities issued religious rulings labeling Trump and Netanyahu as mohareb (waging war against God).
On June 29, 2025, Naser Makarem Shirazi and Hossein Noori Hamedani, two regime-aligned Shiite clerics based in Qom, declared individuals who threaten Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran’s regime, as “mohareb,” without directly naming Trump and Netanyahu.
Yesterday, Najmuddin Tabasi, a member of the Qom Seminary Teachers Association, also threatened Trump with death, saying, “Trump’s hands are stained with blood and he must be punished and receive retribution for his actions.”
Referring to the fatwas by Makarem Shirazi and Noori Hamedani declaring Trump a mohareb, he added, “I am confident that brave youth will deprive Trump of security.”
