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Iran halted its crucial supply of power to Iraq, fueling fears of protests Tuesday amid instability following the resignation of Iraq's electricity minister.

Cash-strapped Iran has put pressure on Iraq's government to release payments for power after falling into arrears. The development pgslot เว็บตรง comes with months of scorching summer temperatures still to come, and ahead of much anticipated federal elections.

Electricity Minister Majed Mahdi Hantoosh submitted his resignation Monday amid popular and political pressure over repeated power outages across the country. Provinces across the country's south — where temperatures currently average 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) — are shortening working hours citing extreme heat.

A call for protests in the oil-rich province of Basra, often the stage of power-related demonstrations, was distributed across social media giving the government until 6 p.m. Tuesday to restore power.

“Or else we will escalate and all of Basra's streets will be cut off, and we will teach the officials a lesson they will never forget,” it said.

Iraq's reliance on Iranian energy imports has geopolitical consequences and has been a source of ongoing tensions with the U.S. Washington has conditioned successive sanctions waivers — enabling these imports to continue — on Iraq becoming more energy independent.

The stakes are high for Iraq's government as electricity outages have routinely led to violent protests, particularly in the south. Federal elections are slated for Oct. 10, the first since mass anti-government protests swept the country in 2019.

Outputs from four cross-border electricity tie-lines from Iran to Iraq were at zero on Tuesday, according to Ministry of Electricity data seen by The Associated Press. The total cuts began this week, a ministry official said. The official requested anonymity because they are not authorized to brief media. In past weeks supply has fluctuated.