President Massoud Pezeshkian delivered a stark warning throughout a cupboard assembly on the identical day, citing an vitality ministry report that exposed the disaster was extra extreme than publicly acknowledged.
Iran is presently experiencing a significant water disaster. The Iranian authorities has declared an emergency public vacation in Tehran Province because the nation grapples with a extreme water scarcity and vitality disaster compounded by hovering temperatures which have pushed the nation’s growing older infrastructure to its breaking level.
Authorities spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani introduced on X that Wednesday, July 23, could be a public vacation in Tehran Province “following the continued excessive warmth and the need of conserving water and electrical energy.” She inspired residents to make use of the time for “relaxation, a brief journey, or being with household, after all, whereas observing security pointers andconserving vitality.“
The unprecedented transfer comes as temperatures throughout Iran have climbed effectively above seasonal averages, with Tehran reaching roughly 104°F (40°C) on Sunday, inserting monumental pressure on the nation’s deteriorating energy grid and water provide techniques.
President Massoud Pezeshkian delivered a stark warning throughout a cupboard assembly on the identical day, citing an vitality ministry report that exposed the disaster was extra extreme than publicly acknowledged.
“The water disaster is extra critical than what’s being mentioned at present, and if we don’t take pressing motion now, we’ll face a state of affairs sooner or later for which no treatment could be discovered,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state media. “Within the water sector, past administration and planning, we additionally want to handle extreme consumption.”
The low water inlet of the river upstream of the Amir Kabir dam alongside the Karaj river is pictured in Iran’s northern Alborz mountain vary on June 1, 2025. (credit score: Atta Kenare/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
The gravity of the state of affairs has develop into more and more obvious as water shutoffs unfold throughout Iran, significantly in Tehran, amid rising stories of what residents describe as silent rationing, claims that officers have denied, attributing the disruptions to mere strain drops within the system.
Final week, Power Minister Abbas Aliabadi issued an alarming forecast, warning that Iran’s crucial reservoirs may run utterly dry inside weeks. The minister revealed that Iran is actively negotiating with neighboring international locations to import water, although the scarcity has already strained Iran’s regional relationships.
Tehran’s water utility has introduced that present reserves within the capital’s important dams have plummeted to their lowest ranges in a century. Officers cite an unprecedented five-year drought, mixed with record-low rainfall, as the first contributing elements, leaving the province dealing with its most extreme water stress in six a long time.
In response to the World Assets Institute, Iran ranks because the 14th most water-stressed nation globally, with commentators more and more discussing a possible “day zero” when water provides may very well be utterly depleted.
Tutorial researcher Reza Talebi has famous that Iran’s aggressive growth of dam development has worsened the nation’s water disaster somewhat than assuaging it. Between 2012 and 2018, the variety of dams in Iran greater than doubled, from 316 to 647, in line with Talebi, and plenty of have been erected with out correct environmental evaluations and sometimes pushed by political or navy agendas.
The Latyan Dam, positioned close to Tehran, has seen its capability shrink dramatically from 95 million to simply 9 million cubic meters. In the meantime, over the previous 20 years, groundwater ranges in Tehran have fallen by 12 meters, contributing to land subsidence and threatening the soundness of city infrastructure. Main infrastructure points additionally result in a preventable lack of water, with estimates of as much as round 25% of Tehran’s water misplaced via mismanagement of services.
Recognizing the magnitude of the problem, Pezeshkian has emphasised that addressing Iran’s water disaster requires a basic shift in nationwide technique. Talking at a government-academic symposium targeted on sustainable water administration, he burdened that the water scarcity represents not a short lived subject however a long-term nationwide problem.
“The disaster can’t be solved via fragmented initiatives,” Pezeshkian declared, outlining his imaginative and prescient for complete reform. “We want constant efforts anchored in 5 key pillars: built-in water-soil-crop engineering, efficient training, incentive insurance policies, strict authorized enforcement in opposition to violations, and steady analysis and oversight.”
The president referred to as for establishing knowledgeable joint job forces combining authorities our bodies and educational establishments to design context-specific options on the provincial and county ranges, acknowledging Iran’s huge climatic and geographical range.
Pezeshkian additionally emphasised the crucial significance of public consciousness campaigns. “Each policymakers and residents should perceive the urgency. We should make water information broadly accessible and embed water conservation into academic curricula.”
Power Minister Eli Cohen addresses the folks of Iran
The disaster has additionally drawn worldwide consideration, together with a pointed response from Israel’s Power Minister Eli Cohen, who posted a message on social media addressing the Iranian folks instantly.
“I see your struggling and know that you do not even have sufficient consuming water,” Cohen wrote on X. “It’s because your oppressive regime, as a substitute of investing in offering consuming water, has spent water assets on a failed nuclear program that has now been consigned to the dustbin of historical past.”
Cohen criticized Iran’s authorities priorities, stating that “as a substitute of addressing the wants of the Iranian folks, they spend assets on terrorist branches in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.”
The Israeli minister highlighted his nation’s success in water administration, noting that “Israel has managed to beat water shortages, and due to our information and innovation, we now have ample water assets that we even export to our neighbors.”
Cohen concluded with a proposal of future cooperation: “To the Iranian nation: The day this oppressive regime is overthrown, your lives shall be a lot better, and also you too will be capable to profit from Israel’s water applied sciences.”
The water disaster represents probably the most critical challenges dealing with Iran’s authorities, combining instant humanitarian issues with long-term questions concerning the nation’s environmental sustainability and useful resource allocation priorities.
