Proposed energy minister blamed for worsening Iran's power crisis
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is under intense scrutiny as a media outlet boldly blames his proposed Minister of Energy, Abbas Aliabadi, for the nation’s ongoing energy crisis.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is under intense scrutiny as a media outlet boldly blames his proposed Minister of Energy, Abbas Aliabadi, for the nation’s ongoing energy crisis.
This criticism comes amid growing concerns about the composition of Pezeshkian's cabinet, casting doubt on its ability to effectively navigate the challenges ahead. The backlash from both the media and the public has grown so intense that Pezeshkian has called on the nation to withhold judgment, urging citizens to evaluate the cabinet based on its future performance rather than immediate perceptions.
"In selecting Aliabadi for the Ministry of Energy, the electricity crisis is set to worsen, virtually guaranteeing the failure of Pezeshkian's administration," wrote the Tehran-based Rouydad24 news outlet on Thursday. The outlet further warned that "the fallout from this decision will be keenly felt by the Iranian people in the next four years, just as the lingering effects of his extended leadership at Mapna are now exposing the nation to this summer's searing heat."
Aliabadi, who has been proposed as Minister of Energy, previously served as Iran's Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade under the hardline government of Ebrahim Raisi in 2023. His appointment even stirred discontent within Raisi's government, with many questioning the rationale behind his selection. Aliabadi stepped in following the impeachment and subsequent dismissal of Raisi's previous minister by parliament, a move that only added to the controversy surrounding his role.
Rouydad24 described the country’s ongoing energy crisis as one of Aliabadi's "greatest betrayals to Iranians," asserting that "the current situation alone serves as a compelling indicator of Aliabadi's managerial abilities and capacity to govern."
This criticism is made as Iran grapples with its most severe heatwave in half a century, which has led to widespread power outages nationwide. The government, already burdened by a staggering fiscal deficit, is struggling to address the crisis.
The roots of Iran's energy crisis run deep, with years of underinvestment and systemic mismanagement at the heart of the problem. The halt in investment in the electricity sector, coupled with stagnation in the development of new power plants and an aging, deteriorating grid, has resulted in a significant electricity shortage. The country now faces a crippling 14,000-megawatt deficit, leaving ordinary citizens to bear the brunt of prolonged blackouts and extreme heat.
Experts warn that the government's continued failure to address these critical issues is pushing Iran toward an increasingly unsustainable future. The situation underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in Iran's energy policy to avert further catastrophe.
Adding to the controversy, Aliabadi's fifteen-year tenure as CEO of the Mapna Group, a major Iranian conglomerate responsible for constructing power plants and oil facilities, is now under scrutiny. The group’s ties to the Islamic Republic's political elite have raised alarms, particularly following revelations by the German newspaper Bild in April. The report suggested that Mapna Group's Düsseldorf-based subsidiary, Mapna Europe, may be involved in circumventing international sanctions.
Further concerns were raised by the British government, with Mapna Europe GmbH reportedly appearing on a European list of companies suspected of engaging in activities related to the production or procurement of weapons of mass destruction. Bild's investigation suggested that the Islamic Republic might be using Mapna Europe, along with its subsidiaries in Dubai, China, and Turkey, to conduct suspicious transactions aimed at evading international sanctions.
Aliabadi, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an alumnus of Iran’s defense educational institutions, resigned from his role at Mapna shortly after assuming his government position. However, Bild asserted that Aliabadi continues to exert influence over Mapna Europe's operations behind the scenes, further complicating his already contentious nomination.
Sarraf’s nomination is particularly significant given the recent history of Iran’s universities as hotbeds of political dissent. The Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, reignited a wave of student activism that shook the foundations of the Islamic Republic.
Protests erupted across more than 130 universities, with students and professors standing in solidarity against the government. These acts of defiance were met with crackdowns, including arrests, judicial rulings, and the mass dismissal of dissenting faculty members.
Given this backdrop, the choice of Sarraf—a figure with years of clerical training and deep ties to Iran’s conservative establishment and a history of involvement in the system’s ideological purification of universities—sends a clear message: the Islamic Republic is doubling down on its efforts to stifle academic freedom and silence opposition.
Simayi Sarraf’s background is a testament to his alignment with the system’s hardline ideology. Born in Mashhad, he was groomed from a young age to follow in the footsteps of the clerical rulers.
His father’s close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his own military involvement in the Iran-Iraq war set the stage for his rise within the government. After two decades of seminary education, Sarraf transitioned into the academic sphere, where he pursued studies in Islamic jurisprudence and law. His work, steeped in conservative Shia thought, has produced over 50 publications advocating for the integration of Islamic principles into Iran’s legal system.
His tenure in various governmental roles, including his time as Director General of the Legal Office of the Ministry of Science and as Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, has been marked by his efforts to align the country’s academic institutions with the system’s ideology.
During Rouhani’s administration, he played a key role in the purge of universities, targeting faculty members who dared to challenge the status quo.
The appointment of such a figure to the ministry of science is an indication that the system intends to continue its assault on academic freedom. The ministry, under Simayi Sarraf’s leadership, is likely to intensify efforts to Islamize universities further, pushing out any remaining voices of dissent and reinforcing the control over Iran’s educational institutions.
The revelation comes after the early exit of Mohammad Javad Zarif, a key figure in Pezeshkian’s circle, an event that continues to make waves. Scrutiny has intensified over the cabinet nominees in which candidates, some holdovers from Ebrahim Raisi’s administration and others relatively obscure figures, seem unlikely to bring the meaningful change that Iran’s sectors, particularly its universities.
Instead, the list of nominees reflects a continuation of the status quo rather than the progressive change that many had anticipated.
It is particularly alarming in light of the recent purges that began under President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration. Following the widespread protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini’s death, the government launched an aggressive campaign to root out opposition within universities.
Observers believe that the appointment of Simayi Sarraf signals a renewed commitment to silencing dissent and erasing any remnants of academic freedom in Iran and that its academic purges are far from over.