MEK Resistance Units Confront Regime’s Energy Exploitation Amid Growing Power Crisis in Iran

As Iran enters a summer marked by crippling power shortages and official admissions of failure, PMOI/MEK Resistance Units in Tehran are taking bold steps to hold the regime accountable. On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, activists in the Nazi Abad district publicly challenged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary forces, accusing them of being the primary “electricity thieves” fueling the country’s energy crisis.

Displaying pointed slogans like “If IRGC’s electricity is cut, the power shortage will be solved,” and “Thieves of the nation’s electricity: IRGC, Basij, Velayat [Supreme Leader],” the Resistance Units directed public outrage at the regime’s entrenched corruption and mismanagement. Their actions directly contradict state narratives that blame the public for the ongoing crisis.

🔴 Tehran – Nazi Abad – May 13, night
In a bold act of defiance, MEK Resistance Units chanted:
"Cut IRGC’s electricity, the power crisis will be solved!"
"IRGC, Basij, and the Supreme Leader are the nation’s electricity thieves!"#FreeIran2025 #Iran pic.twitter.com/7ABOzZ2jTu

— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) May 15, 2025

The accusations highlight how Iran’s key power structures, particularly the IRGC, allegedly divert electricity for illicit activities such as cryptocurrency mining and weapons development, while ordinary citizens suffer prolonged blackouts and deteriorating living conditions.

In recent weeks, even regime officials have admitted their inability to address the worsening crisis. Mehdi Masaeli, Secretary of the Electricity Industry Syndicate, warned that blackout durations could exceed two hours, and advised citizens to prepare with fans and water pitchers. He acknowledged the broader implications of the outages, noting that “when there is no electricity, we also don’t have water because the pumps stop… social unrest may increase.”

In a rare and stark policy shift, the Interior Ministry announced on May 8 that all government offices and banks would close on Thursdays through late September due to “electricity imbalance” and the state’s inability to resolve the crisis—an open acknowledgment of the severity of the situation.

Despite these hardships, the IRGC continues to consume vast amounts of energy to maintain its domestic repression and foreign ambitions. This disparity fuels public frustration, now visibly echoed by the actions of Resistance Units who aim to mobilize the population and challenge the regime’s hold on power.

By breaking through state censorship and propaganda, these Resistance Units are shifting the national mood from passivity to protest. In doing so, they are amplifying the voice of a population that has long been silenced, turning public anger into a force for accountability and change.