![A motorcyclist has a drink from a bottle to cool off during a heat wave in Tehran on July 11, 2023 [ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1523020038-scaled-e1690883112147.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
Iranian authorities today announced a two-day public holiday due to the extreme heatwave in the country.
"In order to protect the health of citizens due to the unprecedented heat these days, the proposal of the Ministry of Health to hold a holiday on Wednesday and Thursday throughout the country was accepted by the Council of Ministers," government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The temperature is expected to reach 51C (123.8F) in some cities in southern Iran.
Health Minister Bahram Einollahi suggested declaring a public holiday in areas where air temperature exceeds 40C (104F) degrees.
![An infographic titled "Heatwaves across the world" created in Ankara, Turkiye on July 20, 2023. Temperatures in Europe, the southern US, North America, parts of Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean remained above 40˚C this week [Elmurod Usubaliev/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AA-20230720-31725728-31725727-HEATWAVES_ACROSS_THE_WORLD-scaled.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
An infographic titled "Heatwaves across the world" created in Ankara, Turkiye on July 20, 2023. Temperatures in Europe, the southern US, North America, parts of Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean remained above 40˚C this week [Elmurod Usubaliev/Anadolu Agency]
READ: Iraqis take a dip in the Euphrates River to cool down amid heatwave
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