Iran’s Gas Shortage and Power Outages May Topple Regime, Expert Warns
A prominent expert on Iran believes that the country’s gas shortage and widespread power outages could be the final blow to the regime, already weakened by years of economic mismanagement and sanctions. Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that the combination of a chronic gas shortage and President-elect Donald Trump’s planned revival of his maximum pressure campaign against Iran could lead to regime change.
Daftari pointed out that Iran’s regime has been experiencing a series of defeats, including the losses of Hezbollah and Hamas in conflicts with Israel, the collapse of the Syrian regime under Assad, and the chronic gas shortage. The country’s currency, the rial, has also plummeted in value, losing more than 10% of its value since Trump’s presidential election victory.
The widespread blackouts and severe gas shortages have jolted Iran’s rulers, who are quick to impose violence on mass dissent. Nationwide protests over fuel prices and the violent repression of women for not properly wearing the compulsory hijab have rocked the Tehran regime in 2019 and 2022.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, has sent a directive to prevent unrest due to the power and gas outages. However, despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment, economic mismanagement, corruption, and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges.
Iran has also pumped massive funds into its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, over the years. The country’s religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been trying to improve the currency rate by flooding the market with hard currencies, but the currency has continued to plummet.
The gas shortage and power outages have led to schools and government offices being closed in many cities, with education continuing online in some areas. The situation has caused widespread anxiety about social and political unrest among the rulers, who are quick to impose violence on mass dissent.
Daftari believes that with President Trump likely to return to a leadership stance that emphasizes maximum pressure, the Iranian people could find themselves in an environment ripe for demanding regime change.