The Iranian Economy Keeps Deteriorating. The President Now Called on Residents to Reduce Energy Consumption.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to cut energy consumption as the country's economy continues to deteriorate.

"If we can control consumption somewhat, we will not need anything, Pezeshkian said in a meeting of senior police commanders on Thursday.

"With just a 10% reduction in consumption, a significant amount will be saved and we will no longer need to import energy," he added.

The president went on to describe the ongoing economic pressure as "far harder and heavier" than military conflict.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that economic pressure is working as it has sent Tehran's economy into "total and complete freefall."

Speaking to press during a visit to Athens, Rubio went on to say that Tehran has "lost complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz and is unable to prevent ships from going through the waterway.

"The Strait of Hormuz is open. There's almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began," he added.

The Iranian economy does appear to be taking a large hit from the U.S.'s latest measures. Iranian state television claimed that Mohsen Paknejad, who has served as oil minister since August 2024, tendered his resignation over the past days.

The development came as the Iranian oil industry faces unprecedented challenges. Homayoun Falakshahi, the head of crude oil analysis at market intelligence platform Kpler, reported on Thursday that Iran had loaded no oil whatsoever at its export terminals in September, marking the first time Iran's oil loadings had completely stopped since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

When revenue from Iranian oil still at sea dries up, which is expected to happen by the end of the year as the final payments could be collected as late as December, the Iranian regime would have to do without what it has always been its primary source of hard currency.

Elsewhere, President Donald Trump and his national security team discussed resuming the campaign against Tehran in the coming weeks, according to NBC News. Axios also detailed that the Pentagon instructed the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to conclude preparations to that end.

The outlet went on to cite sources familiar with the matter, who said that if the campaign resumes it will include large bombings of Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear targets.