Iran’s nationwide electricity crisis has become far more than a seasonal inconvenience. In many areas, power outages also disable water pumps and distribution systems, leaving households without running water for hours at a time. The Iranian regime has attempted to portray the crisis as an unavoidable consequence of recent regional conflict. In numerous regions, electricity outages shut down pumping stations, depriving entire neighborhoods of both electricity and running water. More importantly, Iran’s electricity crisis predates the recent conflict by many years.