'A big prison with no water or power': fed up Iranians rue outages

“We saw that 120 to 150 rocket launchers exploded the moment they were activated, and Iran’s entire air defense system was hacked,” Saeed Leilaz told Eqtesad Online in an interview published Tuesday.

The assertion was a rare detailed account of specific military and intelligence failures in Iran's heavily controlled media.

A former US intelligence officer told Iran International that figures disclosed publicly are often understated, suggesting the level of Israeli penetration and infiltration could be even deeper.

“When someone says it's between 120 and 150, that's huge — but the real number could be significantly higher,” said Michael Pregent, an independent analyst.

Leilaz criticized Iran’s unpreparedness for what he described as a multi-layered surprise attack by Israel, saying the breach exposed deep and widespread security failures.

"I no longer trust any military or security personnel — whether from the Revolutionary Guards, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the army — unless proven otherwise,” he said.

“From a security standpoint, it can easily be said that the Islamic Republic of Iran was brought to its knees,” Leilaz added.

During the war, Israel killed several senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and IRGC Deputy for Operations Mehdi Rabbani.

Asked whether Iran could recover its air defense system following the widespread hacking Leilaz described, Pregent was doubtful.

“The systems they’re using are Russian. Israel already knows how to hack them and conduct cyberattacks to infiltrate, manipulate data and disable defense assets,” he said.

“If Iran is trying to replenish its air defense systems and return to its previous capacity, it’s basically reinstalling the same system — one that Israel can take down again.”

Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 27 Israeli civilians.

According to an Iranian government spokesperson, 1,062 Iranians were killed during the conflict, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians.

Leilaz also criticized the Islamic Republic’s approach to possible negotiations with the United States, urging the government to first negotiate with its own people.

“During the 12-day war, despite being disillusioned with the ruling system, the Iranian people quietly rose up to defend the country’s territorial integrity. That means there is still room for reconciliation between the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Leilaz said.

The White House said on Monday that the Trump administration remains open to talks with Tehran, as Iran prepares to meet with European allies for a new round of nuclear negotiations on Friday.

Images of former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani meeting Russia’s President Vladimir Putin emerged without prior notice on Sunday, shortly after a separate encounter between Putin and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The hardline daily Javan, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported the visit on Monday and questioned its goals and timing.

“It may have been a force majeure meeting—urgent and unpredictable,” an editorial read. “The urgency could stem from last-minute coordination on US and Israeli aggression against Iran, the nuclear dossier, the Gaza crisis and the faltering talks with the European troika.”

Javan dismissed the possibility that arms deals were on the agenda, noting that Moscow has offered only tepid support in recent conflicts despite being “indebted to Iran for undermining American hegemony.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei asserted on Monday that Larijani met Putin as a representative of Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

But the very need for clarification may be seen as confirmation of what many in Tehran already believe: Pezeshkian is not a key player in foreign policy, and important messages are conveyed by Khamenei’s aides rather than diplomats.

Signs of a comeback?

Larijani’s sudden appearance alongside Putin was seen by some pundits as a signal that the former parliament speaker might be “back” after a spell out of spotlight.

Vahideh Karimi, political editor of the reformist Sharq, analyzed Larijani’s evolving role. She noted he seized the 12-day war with Israel as an opportunity to reposition himself.

“Larijani knows the corridors of power in Tehran and is widely regarded as a moderate figure well-versed in negotiation,” she wrote.

Once a staunch conservative, Larijani aligned with former President Hassan Rouhani to tap into reformist popularity—a shift reportedly frowned upon by Khamenei, who later barred him from the presidential race.

Since the war, Larijani has returned to more conservative positions. Karimi argues that his Revolutionary Guard background, pragmatic ambiguity and rhetorical agility make him uniquely suited to the current moment.

‘Calculated ambiguity’

The timing of Larijani’s visit to Russia appears strategic. With high-stakes negotiations underway over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran may have sought counsel from Moscow—its most powerful regional ally.

Karimi also pointed to Larijani’s increased engagement in religious circles as a calculated move to court conservative backing. Still, she warned that Iran’s hardliners—suspicious of independent operators—could once again block his ascent.

Yet Larijani’s key asset, she added, lies in his ambiguity: neither fully beholden to any faction nor entirely obedient, a trait that resonates with many Iranians.

Karimi said the Moscow meeting reflects both Khamenei’s trust in Larijani and possible backing for a future leadership role.

“Unfortunately, we will probably see rationing in most parts of the country soon,” Reza Sepahvand, a member of Iran’s parliamentary energy committee was quoted as saying by the Iranian outlet Tejarat News

“In some cities, this has already started,” he added.

Iranians have increasingly complained of water outages in the capital which began last week.

Reports to Iran International's submissions line indicate worsening water quality and intermittent cuts not only in Tehran but also in West Azarbaijan, Razavi Khorasan and Khuzestan provinces.

Sepahvand said the crisis is the result of long-standing failures to locate water-intensive industries in appropriate areas.

“Industries like steel and petrochemicals should have been built along the Persian Gulf, but instead they were placed in the heart of the desert,” he said. “This has led to expensive and incomplete water transfer projects.”

Sepahvand added that the situation has been worsened by climate change and reduced rainfall.

In a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian cited a dire report from the energy ministry and warned that the water crisis was more severe than acknowledged.

“The water crisis is more serious than what is being discussed today, and if we do not take urgent action now, we will face a situation in the future for which no remedy can be found,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state media.

Iran's government declared a public holiday for Wednesday in Tehran Province due to ongoing extreme heat and the need to conserve water and electricity, spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani announced.

Earlier on Tuesday, local media citing a spokesman from the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company reported that drinking water could be distributed in hygienic plastic pouches in case of supply cuts.

However, the company later denied it had any such plans.

"Roughly 10 million Iranians earn a living directly or indirectly through the digital economy," said Sattar Hashemi during a session of the Iranian parliament on Tuesday. "During the war, employment in this sector fell by 30%."

Hashemi added that every two days of the conflict inflicted about 10 trillion rials in damage to Iran’s digital economy, totaling 150 trillion rials over the month. "This figure is equivalent to the annual budget of some ministries," he said, blaming the deliberate disruption of internet access.

Hashemi distanced his ministry from the decisions behind the internet restrictions. "These limitations were imposed by relevant authorities and intelligence and security agencies," he said, referring to measures officially justified as “necessary for national security.”

The restrictions, however, have triggered sharp backlash from civil society and digital rights activists, especially amid revelations about an emerging "class-based internet" system that appears to provide full, uncensored access for government insiders while heavily filtering usage for the general public.

Cyberattacks compound digital crisis

Compounding the crisis were over 20,000 cyberattacks during the war, many of which, according to Hashemi, were successfully mitigated. “These attacks coincided with field operations by the enemy and aimed to shut down online services and disrupt public access,” he told parliament.

The banking sector was hit particularly hard. Bank Sepah’s online platforms, including mobile services, went dark, paralyzing payroll functions for military personnel. Bank Pasargad and Bank Melli also reported widespread outages, although some official media denied the extent.

Hacktivist groups like “Predatory Sparrow” and “Tapandegan” claimed responsibility for multiple attacks.

On July 3, Tapandegan claimed to have hacked Bank Mellat, leaking data from over 32 million accounts. On July 18, nationwide disruptions hit payment terminals across Iran, compounding financial chaos.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli-aligned cyber operatives wiped $90 million in crypto assets tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), targeting Bank Sepah and Iran's top crypto exchange, Nobitex.

The hack disabled military salaries and ignited public panic, leading to a 12% drop in the rial and a temporary halt to trading on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

Iran ranks among the world’s most restricted digital environments. Freedom House listed the country as the third most repressive globally in terms of internet censorship.

"The country’s digital future cannot be built on filtered networks and unequal access," said lawmaker Salman Es’haghi, calling for full transparency on which individuals or institutions benefit from unrestricted internet access. "People deserve to know who is exempt from the restrictions they endure every day."

In a display of outrage, a poultry farmer dumped dead chickens in front of the Electric Distribution Management Center in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, blaming the power outage for their deaths.

"Since this morning, there has been no electricity. At least inform us so we can use generators," the farmer says.

A baker also posted a video showing spoiled bread dough, saying that three separate outages in a single day caused the dough to go bad, forcing him to throw it all away.

A construction worker shared footage of cement bags hanging midair on a stalled hoist, explaining that the outage had brought their work to a halt.

"It’s been less than an hour since we started, and already we can’t continue. We can’t access the cement, and the entire operation is stopped — not just for us but for others too," he said in the video.

Sanctions, age and mismanagement have taxed Iran's energy infrastructure, and the country has long faced blackouts especially in summer months when water and electricity demand surge.

However, conditions appear to have worsened following the 12-day war with Israel, with Iranians reporting more frequent and severe blackouts.

Businesses and services are also struggling, with one factory worker filmed a halted production line saying: "We can’t do anything — there’s no electricity."

In another video, a shop in the Tabriz bazaar was shown operating on a generator during an outage.

Disrupted daily life

The blackouts are affecting not only businesses but also social and domestic life.

A student filmed herself using a kettle heated on a gas burner to iron her scarf, saying, "There’s no electricity, but since we still have gas, we find ways to manage."

"It’s 2025 — while most countries have stable electricity, I’m heating a kettle to iron my scarf before heading to university," she added ruefully.

Another video from the city of Ahvaz shows a man standing in 122-degree heat, complaining about the power outage and turning on a faucet to show that the lack of running water.

A member of the Iran's Electricity Market and Exchange Commission warned that if current trends in electricity supply and consumption continue, Iran will face managed blackouts for at least four more years.

"The total nominal capacity of the national power grid is 94,500 megawatts, but actual production is just over 63,400 megawatts," Ali Shahmohammadi told Shargh daily in June.

"Over the past five years, electricity demand has grown by about 5.5 percent, while power generation capacity has increased by only 2.2 percent up to 2024 — a figure that highlights the severity of the crisis," Shahmohammadi added.

Not even daily commutes to and from affected homes and workplaces provide a respite from the blackouts, with a video from the city of Mashhad showing heavy traffic caused by disabled traffic lights.