Iran warns of winter energy shortages after U.S.-Israeli strikes on gas facilities

Iran warned that U.S.-Israeli strikes on its gas facilities have worsened energy shortages, and that the north of the country is likely to face problems with gas supply this winter, as Al Jazeera reports.

Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the strikes on Iran’s energy sector have deepened the shortages. Asked about gas supplies as the cold season begins, she said efforts are being made to restore about 2 billion cubic meters of gas storage capacity this year.

According to her, the strikes came on top of an existing energy supply imbalance, and northern Iran is likely to face difficulties this winter. The government, she said, will try, through the Supreme Energy Council, to keep industry running while also securing supplies for households.

The warning comes at a moment when the U.S.–Iran war, which entered its eighth month, is hitting the Iranian economy hard. Last week it was reported that Iran’s economy has contracted by 10.1%, while oil and gas losses are hitting Tehran hard. Meanwhile, the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, reimposed in July, has blocked Iranian oil exports through Hormuz, and ship trackers estimate that Iranian oil reserves outside the blockade could run out by mid-October.