Iranian authorities have placed emergency services on high alert as heavy snowfall and plummeting temperatures affect large parts of the country, with Tehran announcing closures and travel warnings.

The latest cold snap in the Middle Eastern country comes as utility services are already overstretched by gas consumption and power outages. Heavy snow and flooding in Iran have become increasingly common in recent years, with freak incidents being reported. 

Tehran's municipal services are on standby following snowfall in the capital's northern districts, with salt and grit spread across main routes, city services director Alireza Jafari said on February 7.

"Our teams have been on alert since yesterday afternoon and will remain so across all 22 municipal districts while precipitation continues," he added.

The National Crisis Management Organisation has mobilised emergency response teams across affected provinces. Spokesman Hossein Zafari reports this as "the heaviest winter snowfall so far."

About 2,500 people stranded in snow and blizzard conditions have been moved to warm shelters, while 4,000 others received emergency assistance, including hot meals.

"All operational crisis management staff leaves have been cancelled in affected districts and provinces until the emergency conditions end," Zafari said. Most roads have reopened except the Saqqez-Divandarreh route, which remains difficult to navigate.

The severe weather has prompted Tehran to declare all government offices, schools, universities, banks and municipalities closed on Saturday February 8. Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, particularly to northern regions due to slippery road conditions.

The city of around 8.8mn has historically seen huge amounts of snow during winter in recent decades, but in the past few years, and especially this year, rain and snow have been notable for their absence from much of the country. Such dry weather intensified outbreaks of smog, with several cities forced to declare smog holidays, hitting the Iranian economy to the tune of millions of dollars.

The Crisis Management Organisation is coordinating with northern provincial governors to ensure adequate food and water supplies, with extra flour being distributed to bakeries to prevent shortages of essential items.

"Most emergency calls involved people stranded on roads. This puts them at risk and complicates rescue operations," Zafari said, urging the public to avoid non-essential travel until conditions improve.