Several Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, have in the past few days been rattled with death shouts against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as unscheduled power cuts continue to disrupt normal life.

Many Iranians have also staged protests outside local offices, calling for the resignation of officials, including Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian.

While the damage dealt by the blackouts has yet to be formally assessed, it has already hit private businesses hard. In tall buildings, the cuts have also led to water outages, further complicating the situation amid the coronavirus pandemic and Iran's typically scorching summer season.

Addressing the matter at a Cabinet meeting July 6, Presidents Hassan Rouhani expressed his apology to Iranians, but absolved the Energy Ministry of the responsibility. "We have no option," he noted, "other than cutting back." Rouhani assigned First Vice President Is'haq Jahangir with the task of investigating the blackouts. The Judiciary, in control of hard-liners, also launched its own probe under the country's ultraconservative prosecutor-general.