Iran has many problems. The U.S. has bombed its nuclear facilities, and Israel has damaged or destroyed many other strategic sites. Israel also killed many of its top generals and leading scientists. The country is suffering from economic sanctions that restrict its ability to buy and sell a wide variety of merchandise. But it is also experiencing another problem that, in some ways, is even more pressing—and no one has any idea how to resolve it. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian summed it up in a few words: Iran, he said, is on the brink of a dire water crisis.
Many people in the U.S. can sympathize with this because intense drought is no stranger to America. Not all that long ago, people in California and Texas (and other areas) suffered through what, at first, was called a once-in-a-century drought but then, as those conditions persisted, became a once-in-a-millennium drought.
Severe water shortages that develop in remote regions often do not get the attention they may warrant. But this one is impacting major cities, including Tehran, the capital. Water pressure is now so low that taps in many apartment buildings literally run dry for hours—and even when there is water, it flows sporadically.
Drying Up
According to the conservative newspaper The Epoch Times, people are hoarding every single drop they can get because reservoirs and lakes are drying up.
Addressing the entire country in mid-August, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “The water crisis is more serious than what is being talked about and, if we do not make urgent decisions, we will face a situation that can’t be cured…. We can’t continue this way.” Later in his comments, Pezeshkian acknowledged that the water crisis was largely due to gross government mismanagement—an amazing comment from someone in his position.
But the drought, which has already lasted for some ten years, can no longer be ignored. According to one report, even the Ayatollah has warned that dams could go dry in September.
So the bottom line for Iran is quite worrisome: water is running out, power is failing, and rolling blackouts are crippling the country’s industry. In some cities, taps have been turned off for 48 hours at a time as Iran suffers through its worst drought in a century.
Meanwhile, in some circles, there is rising anger, and people are starting to blame the government’s policy of funding terror rather than improving the infrastructure for these problems. With people worried about where their next cup of water will come from, this thinking can catch on very quickly.
No Cure for the Summertime Blues
This summer has been exceptionally hot in Iran, and temperatures in Tehran frequently topped 104 degrees Fahrenheit; other regions in the south were even hotter. And the real-feel heat all over was exacerbated by high humidity.
Two days after Pezeshkian’s comments, the Iranian government tried a new approach to lower water and electricity usage around the country: a three-day weekend. All government offices and services were shut in the capital, and people had an unexpected “holiday.”
According to Roman Balmakov, a reporter for The Epoch Times and host of the show Facts Matter, there are two main reasons for this water crisis. The first is that Iran has experienced a prolonged, severe drought. According to the country’s Ministry of Energy, the annual rainfall over this time has declined from an average of eleven inches per year to just six inches—only slightly more than half of normal. This has resulted in what many are calling “the worst drought in 50 years,” although others put that number at 100 years.
This has had a very serious impact on the Iranian economy. Reservoirs are drying up; wells are running empty; wetlands are turning into sandstorms; crops and livestock are dying; and lakes are drying up so people can’t go fishing or swimming. Obviously, the combination of these factors is taking a major toll on people’s livelihoods.
Even worse, parts of the country are starting to sink. For example, parts of Tehran are subsiding at a rate of over 12 inches a year. An article in The New York Times explained the problems this way:
“Environmental experts say that the water crisis stems from decades of mismanaging water resources and other misguided policies, including the overdevelopment of urban areas, the draining of groundwater and excessive construction of dams. Iran has also piped water to the central desert regions to feed water-intensive industries, such as steel making, owned by the government.”
Who Cares?
Should people in New York, the U.S., and other regions of the world care about a drought in a far-away country that’s hostile to them and their interests? I believe the answer is “yes,” even aside from humanitarian reasons.
Iranians are already agitated and, with the drought exacerbating their problems, people can easily turn to violence and rioting—or even war. One possibility is a military attack on other countries to divert attention from domestic problems. Another is that other countries could attack Iran because they sense weakness and want to take advantage of the situation; in theory, there also could be a civil war. So this drought can potentially have explosive consequences, and the last thing the Middle East and surrounding areas need is more volatility.
A Ray of Light?
Around mid-August, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu sent a message to the Iranian people. In part, he said that Israel has acquired a great deal of expertise in making every drop of water count. He is ready to help Iran solve its water crisis.
“Israel is the number one recycler of water in the world,” he said. “We recycle 90% of our wastewater, and we lead the world in desalination. We know exactly what to do so that Iran can also have plentiful water…. The moment your country is free, Israel’s top water experts will flood into every Iranian city, bringing cutting-edge technology and know-how.”
That would be nice, but for the time being it’s just wishful thinking—there would have to be dramatic changes in Iran before that could happen. So, for now, the bottom line is that the drought is adding fuel to an already explosive situation. And no one knows what might make it flare up.
Sources: AI Overview; Reuters.com; YouTube: “Israel Calls for Iranians to Rise Up Amid Catastrophic Water Shortages”; Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov: “Iranian President: We Have No Water Left.”
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
