DW:

Iran has one of the biggest reserves of natural gas and crude oil in the world, holding the second-largest proven gas reserves and fourth-largest proven crude reserves. 

And yet the energy giant is facing a fuel crunch, with demand for natural gas outstripping production.

In recent days, forced to ration electricity, Iranian authorities have ordered schools and public offices shut across the country, as well as turned off lights illuminating major highways in the capital Tehran and other places.

President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens in a video message to lower the average temperature of their homes by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in order to help his government manage the energy crisis.

The appeal highlights the gravity of Iran's energy shortfall, exacerbated by its heavy reliance on gas-fired power plants, which accounted for as much as 86% of the nation's total electricity output in 2023.

Gas shortages have forced authorities to burn mazut — a cheap and highly polluting heavy oil — to generate electricity, worsening air pollution in major cities.

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