WorldMiddle East
Iran readies power grid for war as US says no new oil has left its terminals since August
Tehran's civil defence chief named 14 sectors that would need protecting if fighting resumes, while a US Treasury assessment described Iran's economy as crippled but not collapsing.
Key points
- Iran's civil defence chief said 14 electricity-dependent sectors would need support if war resumes.
- A US Treasury report said no new oil has been loaded at Iranian terminals since 25 August.
- Iran's offer to reopen Hormuz now has a two-day window, down from seven days.
Iran is preparing its power network for a return to war. Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, who heads the National Passive Defense Organization, said on Sunday that 14 electricity-dependent sectors would need support if fighting resumes, and that “network islanding”, splitting the grid into sections that can run on their own, is being considered.
State television on Sunday aired footage of weapons being moved out of underground storage. The heads of the armed forces, the Revolutionary Guards and the army each declared themselves ready for missile and drone attacks if the conflict escalates, after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on Saturday for “maximum deterrence”.
An economy under blockade
A recent US Treasury assessment said no new oil has been loaded onto tankers at Iranian terminals since 25 August. It put Iran’s inflation at close to 90% in September and called the economy “crippled”, though not close to collapse.
At sea, the attacks go on. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a liquefied petroleum gas carrier was struck by three Iranian projectiles on Saturday, about 40 nautical miles south of Lavan Island. At least four tankers were reported hit on Friday and Saturday.
Diplomacy still open
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has cut the window on Iran’s offer to partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz to two days from seven, if Washington meets its conditions: lifting the naval blockade, oil sanctions waivers, unfrozen assets and an end to fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon. President Donald Trump said the talks were going “fine” but called Iran’s leaders not “reliable”.
Negar Mortazavi of the Center for International Policy said there were signs of US interest in a deal. “Each side wants the other to act first,” she said.
For India, the stakes are its sailors and its fuel. Indian crew have already been caught in the attacks, with two missing after a drone hit the tanker MT Petro Dolphin off Oman on 11 October.