Iran calls for 10% gas use cut before winter

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Sunday for a nationwide effort to cut gas consumption by at least 10 percent as officials expect shortages during the approaching winter.

Ghalibaf said in a video carried by Iranian media that reducing consumption was essential to get through winter. He said anyone who saved gas would receive the corresponding proceeds in their bank account.

Iran is a major producer of natural gas but has long faced shortages of the fuel, which is central to heating systems. Winter temperatures often fall below freezing, especially in northern Iran.

Earlier in October, First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said the government expected a daily gas shortfall of 100 million to 250 million cubic metres during the cold season because of damage caused by war, according to the official IRNA news agency. He said he hoped to restore around 100 million cubic metres of supply by the start of winter.

Tehran has said the United States and Israel struck key Iranian infrastructure, including natural gas refineries, during the most intense phase of fighting that began in February and lasted nearly 40 days. An April ceasefire ended that phase of bombardment, but the two sides have continued to contest control over the Strait of Hormuz.