The Iran Chamber of Commerce has published a report estimating the cost of mandatory holidays and economic disruption in 2025 to be around 34 billion dollars. This figure reflects the dimensions of the energy supply crisis and instability in the business environment, whose consequences have transferred from factories to employment, commodity prices, and household purchasing power.
Impact of Holidays and Economic Disruptions
According to this report, last year, 61 days of complete mandatory shutdowns were recorded, and in another 190 days, at least one disruptive factor affected economic activity. The Chamber of Commerce's estimate indicates a loss of about 22 percent of the operational time capacity, which signifies a significant reduction in the country's economic activities.
Keyvan Kashafi, a member of the board of the Iran Chamber, pointed out that today's production issue is not limited to electricity shortages. In addition to gas outages, internet disruptions, air pollution, and wartime conditions have also impacted production stoppages, raw material supply, sales, and the fulfillment of commercial obligations.
Factors Contributing to the Energy Crisis
The continuation of this situation reveals the failure of the Islamic Republic's policies in sustainably providing production infrastructure. Hamidreza Salehi, Vice President of the Energy Commission of the Iran Chamber, has warned that the relative reduction of electricity restrictions this summer "does not mean that the imbalance has been resolved," and the decline in the activity of some industries has also reduced their energy consumption.
The energy crisis actually existed before the war. The House of Commons Library of the United Kingdom identified high inflation, weak job creation, and shortages of water and energy as problems in Iran's economy prior to the conflicts of 2026. The war and damage to infrastructure have exacerbated these accumulated weaknesses.
The pathway for transferring the losses to livelihoods is clear: businesses still incur fixed costs on holidays while their production and income decline. The increase in the cost of each unit of product can lead to higher prices, and the inability to sell also raises the risk of reduced working hours, wages, and employment.
The World Bank has also warned that high food inflation, import shortages, and shocks from conflicts are increasing poverty.
The private sector has proposed flexibility in working days and compensating businesses; however, these measures cannot replace investment, infrastructure rebuilding, and reliable electricity and gas supply. Without these reforms, the costs of production stoppages will continue to be distributed among businesses, the workforce, and consumers.
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