Residents of Sabzevar, a city in eastern Iran, took to the streets for the second consecutive night. They gathered in front of the Sabzevar Governor’s Office, chanting slogans such as “Our rights are only earned in the streets” and “Water, electricity, life are our basic rights” in protest against frequent power outages in the region.
Meanwhile, the regime declared Wednesday a public holiday. The crisis has paralyzed the country, and now people—more exasperated than ever—are faced with a government that is this time openly demonstrating its inability to govern.
According to provincial authorities across the country, on Wednesday, July 23, schools and government offices in 23 provinces will either be closed or operate remotely.
In a bizarre move, Tehran’s Water and Wastewater Company announced the distribution of bottled water to residents—but shortly afterward, retracted the statement.
Reza Sepahvand, a member of the regime’s parliament, warned about the possibility of nationwide water rationing in Tehran and other provinces. But such warnings are nothing new. For years, environmental activists have raised alarms, only to be silenced and repressed. Over the past years, Iran’s regime has imprisoned numerous environmental activists under the pretext of “national security threats.”
In response to the extreme heat, Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, shamelessly described Wednesday’s shutdown as “an opportunity to breathe.”
She suggests people rest, travel, and spend time with family—amid deadly heat, without water, without electricity.
Water Crisis in Iran: Mismanagement, Blackouts, and Public Distrust Amid Environmental Collapse https://t.co/jCdck2XrRc pic.twitter.com/vqrRBKthR9
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) July 23, 2025
Governance in Iran is structured in such a way that only a specific class is able to live comfortably.
Even Isa Kalantari, former head of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, warned that “we should be concerned about the very existence of Iran.” Masoud Pezeshkian, the current president of Iran’s regime, also admitted, “If we don’t act now, there may be no solution tomorrow.”
