Iran is buckling under the pressure of a massive heatwave passing across the Middle East, with temperatures soaring to nearly 70°C. Scorching heat levels of 50°C have already paralyzed nearby Iraq, where officials were forced to call a four-day public holiday because it was too hot to work. But the word “hot” has taken on an entirely new meaning in Iran’s city of Bandar Mahshahr, where it was claimed that the city’s heat index, or “feels-like temperature”, was among the highest ever recorded. The heat index was recorded by a group of astonished weather experts, who predict the country could...