Severe heatwave in Iran forces shops and public institutions to close

Temperatures as high as 45C in certain parts of the country have seen about 225 people seek treatment for heatstroke

A heatwave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities on Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter on Sunday as hospitals receive more than 200 people for heatstroke treatment.

The temperature ranged from 37C (98.6F) to 42C (107F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports.

The state-run Islamic republic news agency (IRNA) said banks, offices and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy because of extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

Babak Yektaparast, the spokesperson for the country’s emergency department, told the semi-official Mehr news agency that 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be admitted to hospital.