Iran has declared a two-day holiday for this 'unprecedented' reason

Iran's government is advising the elderly and vulnerable people to stay indoors as "unprecedented heat" shuts down the country this week.

A taxi driver splashes water onto his face to cool off during a hot day in Tehran, Iran. Iran is facing an intense heat wave with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. Source: AAP / Abedin Atehrkenareh

Key Points

• Many cities in southern Iran have already suffered from days of exceptional heat.
• Temperatures exceeded 51 degrees Celsius in Ahvaz this week.
• The health ministry said hospitals are on high alert.

Iran has announced Wednesday and Thursday this week will be public holidays because of "unprecedented heat" and told the elderly and people with health conditions to stay indoors, Iranian state media reported.

Many cities in southern Iran have already suffered from days of exceptional heat. State media reported temperatures had this week exceeded 51 degrees Celsius in the southern city of Ahvaz.

Government spokesman Ali Bahadori-Jahromi was quoted by state media as saying Wednesday and Thursday would be holidays, while the health ministry said hospitals would be on high alert.

Temperatures are expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius in Tehran on Wednesday.

State broadcaster IRIB said many cities, including in the provinces of Ilam, Bushehr, and Khuzestan, had seen temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius in recent days.

"The cabinet agreed to the health ministry proposal to declare Wednesday and Thursday as public holidays all over the country to protect public health," the official IRNA news agency quoted Jahromi as saying.

IRNA said the decision was taken due to an "unprecedented" heatwave across the country.

According to IRIB, Dehloran city in western Iran had recorded 50 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours, with temperatures expected to rise in the north as well, including in the city of Ardabil as well as on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea.

The northern hemisphere is facing extreme heat waves with the United Nations saying that without sustained investments in climate mitigation and adaptation, the world is destined for a future of ever larger and deadlier heat disasters. Source: Getty / Yasin Demirci

The health ministry has warned of the risks of heatstroke from over-exposure to the sun and urged people to stay indoors between 10am and 4pm.

Health ministry spokesman Pedram Pakain described the number of heat-related illnesses in recent days as "alarming".

In June, Iran switched to daylight saving hours for government employees, in order to save electricity at workplaces when temperatures peak.

The southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan has been among the hardest hit by the heatwave.

Around 1,000 people have received hospital treatment there in recent days because of rising temperatures and dust storms, IRNA said.

The region has long faced severe water shortages, which triggered protests on Monday over an upstream dam in neighbouring Afghanistan restricting water flow, the Tasnim news agency said.

Iran, with a population of more than 85 million, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and the rise in global temperatures.

It has suffered extreme dry spells and heatwaves for years, with conditions expected to worsen due to climate change.