Iraq’s worsening electricity crisis risks causing larger protests

• 2 days ago (2025-07-16)
• David Flin

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Experts say that the protests against worsening electricity blackouts in Iraq are likely to exacerbate in the near future following the disruption to Iranian gas supplies.

Numerous protests, ranging in size from dozens to thousands of participants, have already sprung up across Iraq’s central and southern provinces in response to electricity outages.

Iranian gas supplies to Iraq have plunged after Israeli air strikes that targeted Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Diaa Hindi al-Husnawi, MP for Karbala, said that falling gas imports are already reducing power supply across central provinces and pressed the Government to activate emergency measures. “People don’t care about geopolitical tensions. They need electricity to survive the heat.”

Iraq depends on Iranian gas for nearly one-third of its electricity generation, importing up to 45 million cubic meters per day. These volumes are vital during the summer, when national demand often exceeds 32 GW, and a prolonged disruption could cut output by as much as 8 GW – triggering widespread blackouts, according to analysts.

Al-Husnawi faulted the Ministry of Electricity for failing to implement contingency plans despite repeated warnings, highlighting that long-promised alternatives – such as grid integration with the Gulf, Jordan, and Türkiye, as well as solar and gas capture projects – remain largely unfulfilled.