Saturday August 23rd 2025
Iranian officials have announced an extra day of government shutdowns to ease demand on dwindling electricity and water supplies amid a summer of searing heat.
Schools, universities and government offices will close across most of the country on Saturday August 23rd for a public holiday.
Wednesday July 23rd 2025
The Iranian government has announced a day of public holiday in the capital, Tehran, amid a scorching heatwave that has caused water and electricity consumption to rise to new highs.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on her X account on Sunday that Tehran will be closed on Wednesday, July 23, because of “the continued intense heat” and “the need for controlling water and power consumption”.
Wednesday is the last working day of the week in the capital Tehran. The government hopes families would use the extra holiday to travel to cooler regions in Iran, helping ease pressure on the electrical grid and water supply system in Tehran, a city with a population of nearly 10 million people.
Thursday July 11th 2024
Iraq’s meteorology and seismology organization announced that temperatures are set to reach 50 degrees Celsius, prompting a public holiday on Thursday July 11th 2024 in several provinces.
“Temperatures will reach above 50 degrees Celsius in central and southern provinces,” Amir Jabri, spokesperson for Iraq’s meteorology department, told Rudaw on Wednesday.
Jabri highlighted the onset of the year's second heatwave, expected to persist for a few days and cautioned against direct exposure to sunlight.
Thursday is a workday in Iraq; however, public offices and most businesses are closed on Friday and Saturday.
According to the organization’s forecasts, eight provinces will experience temperatures of at least 50 degrees Celsius.
August 2nd - 3rd 2023
Iranian authorities have announced two days of public holiday due to the extreme heatwave in the country. Public and private-sector offices as well as banks and the stock exchange will be shut on August 2nd-3rd 2023, Government Spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said on state TV.
"In order to protect the health of citizens due to the unprecedented heat these days, the proposal of the Ministry of Health to hold a holiday on Wednesday and Thursday throughout the country was accepted by the Council of Ministers," Anadolu Agency reported Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The health ministry said hospitals would be on high alert.
The temperature is expected to reach 51C (123.8F) in some cities in southern Iran.
Health Minister Bahram Einollahi suggested declaring a public holiday in areas where air temperature exceeds 40C (104F) degrees, it added.
