Current sectionMiddle East NewsIran NewsAnalysis Iran's leaders are wracked by power struggles, indecision and an inability to admit mistakes. Economic pressure might push them toward a political resolutionShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeZvi Bar'elSeptember 04, 2026A new plague is afflicting millions of drivers in Iran. Amid the severe gasoline shortage, gas stations are diluting fuel with water; sometimes they're simply pumping water into car tanks. So thousands of cars are breaking down after a few hundred kilometers, or even dozens. Their engines are ruined. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:IranStrait of HormuzDonald TrumpSyria2026 Israel-Iran WarRussiaTurkeyCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesNetanyahu October 7Settlement Sanctions Israel-U.K.EisenkotJD VanceBen-GvirGazaIsrael ElectionHaQuizHaaretz PodcastJohn Malkovich Cancels Israel Performance Over Quotes Falsely Attributed to HimTrump: Iran War Will End 'Immediately' After the U.S. Midterm ElectionDenisovan Culture Revealed in Bat Cave in ChinaU.S. Jewish Umbrella Group Condemns Import Ban on Goods From Israeli SettlementsEarliest Known Drug Use and Its Consequences Discovered in IndonesiaRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMINetanyahu Got an Explicit Warning Before Oct. 7. He Didn't Brief Security ChiefsThink Bibi Is Bad? Meet Sara NetanyahuIMDb Replaces the Name Israel With 'The Occupied Palestinian Territories'Netanyahu Was Warned About October 7. Will Haaretz's Exposé Change Anything?Water Crisis Triggered by Gaza's Ruin: Israel Is Paying the Price of DestructionNetanyahu Says He Will Sue Haaretz Following Oct. 7 ExposéMore Stories to Explore