Iranians have been told to use less water and electricity as President Masoud Pezeshkian warns the country's difficult wartime conditions are set to continue.
With no US-Iran peace deal in sight, the conflict is weighing heavily on the Iranian economy thanks to rising prices, job losses and a prolonged internet blackout.
While visiting a mosque in Tehran, Mr Pezeshkian said reducing consumption and changing the "behavioural pattern of society" was essential for Iran. He said religious leaders could play a part in promoting a "culture of thrift".
"The consumption rate in some areas is far beyond conventional standards, and even under normal circumstances, it was necessary to reform the consumption trend," he said. "Given the country's special conditions, this issue has become a vital and strategic necessity."
He added that reducing consumption of electricity, gas, and water "with the participation of the people" would help with the "stable and unchallenged governance of the country." The poor economic situation even before the war led to mass anti-regime protests in January, during which thousands are believed to have died.
Mr Pezeshkian, whose authority over military matters is limited, has been at the forefront of efforts to stabilise Iran on the domestic front. Iran's Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref separately said the government had a strategy to prevent price gouging, while blaming "international issues" in part for higher costs.
The war's economic impact has spread worldwide after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. The US military imposed a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
With hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seen as gaining influence under elusive supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran has shown little sign it will blink first in stalled peace negotiations with the US.
After initial peace talks in Pakistan last month, an expected second round never took place. Two top Iranian officials - Mr Pezeshkian and top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf - held talks with Pakistan's interior minister on Sunday but there was no indication that talks were about to resume.
Iran is also in contact with other proposed mediators such as Qatar and China. Mr Ghalibaf was on Sunday appointed as Iran's special representative for China, according to pro-regime media.
The appointment follows US President Donald Trump's visit to China last week. The White House said Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had found common ground on Iran, agreeing that Iran should not develop a nuclear weapon or charge tolls in the strait. China did not confirm that.
