English: Early morning, minutes (or better to say seconds) after sunrise. The front shadows are because of north-eastern mountains of Tehran. Date 12 June 2006 Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/165602336/ Author Hamed Saber

02 Aug 2023

Iran shuts down the entire country for two days because of dangerous heat

The Iranian government has announced that Wednesday and Thursday this week will be public holidays because of unprecedented heat, advising the elderly and people with health conditions to stay indoors, reports IranPress.com.

The decision to shut down the country as a temporary two day holiday period (August 2-3) allegedly came after Iran's Meteorological Organization forecasted temperatures exceeding 40°C / 104 F in many cities and nearly 50ºC / 122 F in the southwest.

The Health Ministry warned of the risks of heatstroke from overexposure to the Sun and urged people to stay indoors between 10 am and 4 pm.

In June, Iran changed summer working hours so government employees could start earlier during the cooler hours, and to save electricity in offices when temperatures peak.

According to English.Jagran.com, Iran registered 53 degrees C / 127.4 F, in Ahvaz in 2022.