Iran's digital clock counting down to Israel's doom goes dark

TEHRAN: A digital clock set up by Iran's government meant to count down to Israel's doom appears to have been shut off as power outages sweep the country. The doomsday clock was started four years ago, counting down until the year 2040, the supposed year when Israel would cease to exist, according to an Israel Today report. The prediction was made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the Islamic Republic of Iran has made opposition to Israel and Zionism a central tenet of its image.

But a post to social media this week showed that the giant clock in Palestine Square was now blank because it had shut off due to the power outages sweeping the country resulting from recent heat waves. "Iranian regime's countdown to Israel's annihilation clock has stopped working because of the power outages that have swept across Iran," tweeted Columbia University fellow Asaad Hanna, a former Al Monitor journalist.

"A few years ago, Iran's radical regime created a 'clock' that counts down to Israel's 'destruction'. Following repeated power cuts in recent days the clock has stopped. Perhaps instead of developing nuclear weapons they should concentrate on developing renewable energies," Israel's United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon tweeted in response to the photo. Traffic lights, public transportation, and telecommunications in Iran have been forced to go dark for long stretches at a time, according to the report. The recent heat wave coupled with a drought that has hurt the country's hydroelectric plants crippled Iran's power grid. Western sanctions have taken a major toll on the country's infrastructure.