SAEDNEWS: The Reformist Front spokesperson said the US president’s claim of causing nationwide blackouts is unrealistic due to the country’s power industry capabilities and dispersed grid.
According to Saed News political service, Javad Emam, referencing Iran’s conditions during the Iraq-Iran war and the capacity to restore power plants, stated: “At that time, besides public morale, self-sacrifice, resistance, and support for the combatants, the country’s electricity production capabilities, technology, and engineering capacity were not at today’s level. Yet, those experiences and achievements laid the groundwork for the current technical and industrial advancements, which are remarkable and commendable.”
He added, “However, today’s conditions differ in terms of the nature of threats. If power plants were targeted simultaneously now, the situation would be fundamentally different. During the war, attacks were isolated, and damages could be managed and compensated with existing resources. Today, despite a significant increase in electricity production capacity and the development of power plants, new threats have emerged, such as disabling transmission lines without directly targeting the plants themselves.”
Emam continued: “In the event of regional disruptions, replacement and management are possible. But if disturbances occur nationwide, it would exceed the country’s usual capacities and require different measures.”
Referring to the Ministry of Energy’s performance during recent attacks, he emphasized: “The ministry was able to repair damaged points and restore them to service in the shortest possible time, ensuring the national grid remained stable. Engineers and workers in the electricity sector continue to serve with high motivation and can manage and resolve temporary instabilities. However, the loss of overall grid stability is a different matter that requires specific planning.”
Answering a question about the public’s perception, Emam said: “To maintain public morale, the experiences from the Sacred Defense era can be utilized, just as the country’s engineering capacities were highlighted even in the education system at that time.”
He noted that the country’s electricity production network is no longer centralized: “Unlike in the past, when certain power plants played a central role, today electricity production is distributed across the country, with multiple capacities, creating significant diversity and dispersion in production.”
The spokesperson added: “Even if part of the network is targeted, other regions can compensate to some extent. Damage to a few plants does not result in nationwide blackouts. Due to the dispersed infrastructure, completely disabling the country’s power grid is highly unlikely, except in the case of simultaneous, widespread attacks, which seems unrealistic.”
He stressed: “The claim by the U.S. president about causing a nationwide blackout is not realistic, given the current capabilities of the electricity sector and the dispersion of production and transmission networks.”
