Use Of Mazut in Iranian Power Plants Due to Gas ShortageHe warned that the mazut used in Iran contains sulfur “seven times the global standard,” and the quality of gasoline used in the country is “not suitable.” Contrary to earlier promises by officials of Iran’s regime, burning mazut has become an official and relied-upon option for the government in managing the energy crisis, and this practice is still ongoing. Kahrom’s comments come amid a severe air-pollution crisis in Iran’s major cities, which has caused serious harm to public health and forced the closure of many educational centers. The reference to the regime’s missile-building costs comes at a time when Iran’s regime is under extensive international sanctions because of its nuclear and missile ambitions. Nevertheless, Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran’s regime, and other senior officials have stressed the continuation of these programs despite global concerns.
Iran Could Standardize Mazut Fuel With The Money For 10 Missiles
Esmail Kahrom, a former adviser to the Environmental Protection Organization of Iran’s regime, criticized the regime’s environmental policies and said the government could solve the problem of mazut fuel quality in Iran by redirecting the money it spends on part of its missile production. Kahrom is a well-known environmental expert in Iran.
On Sunday, November 30, Kahrom told the state-run Jamarān website: “If people and their health mattered to the officials, each missile that is manufactured costs two million dollars, and with the money for ten missiles we can standardize our mazut. We do not do it because the priorities are something else.”
Wheat Production in Iran Down By 30% In Past Year Due To Drought
The head of Iran’s National Wheat Farmers Foundation, referring to an “unprecedented drought” in the past sixty years, expressed hope that wheat production would remain similar to last year. Meanwhile, the state-run Mehr News Agency wrote that due to last year’s drought, wheat production had dropped by more than 30%.
Ataollah Hashemi told the state-run Mehr News Agency on Saturday, November 29, that there has been no rainfall this autumn so far and that “the amount of precipitation has been almost zero.”
Extensive Damage to Farmers Due to Power Outages in IranHe added that some farmers have begun planting and are waiting for rain, while others are waiting for the soil to gain enough moisture before planting. Hashemi noted that about 80% of rainfed (dryland) wheat fields were damaged in the 2024–2025 agricultural year and added that irrigated wheat yields are twice those of rainfed fields, and last year some of the damage was compensated through irrigated cultivation. According to the report, yield in rainfed fields is 1,200 kilograms, while the figure for irrigated fields is 4,200 kilograms. Currently, four million hectares of wheat farmland are rainfed and two million hectares irrigated. Hashemi said: “If, according to the Meteorological Organization’s forecasts, the drought trend continues, then despite irrigated wheat cultivation, the production of this strategic crop will be in a more unbalanced condition compared to last year.” He also mentioned other problems wheat farmers face, including the supply of imported fertilizers, the risk of locust infestations, and fuel provision.
Tehran’s Subsidence and Drying Wetlands Reveal New Dimensions of Iran’s Water CrisisHashemi also called on the government to pay its debt to the Agricultural Insurance Fund in order to strengthen the fund and support farmers.
A 50% reduction in agriculture’s share of water
The Mehr News Agency also noted that Iran has been experiencing drought for several years, writing: “The decline in water stored behind dams has caused the agricultural sector’s water share to drop by more than 50%.” The agency reported: “Due to last year’s drought, wheat production fell by more than 30%, and farmers delivered about eight million tons of wheat to the government.” Concerns over declining wheat production and financial losses among farmers come as a report by Iran’s Water Resources Management Company shows that from September 23 to November 4, twenty of Iran’s thirty-one provinces did not witness “a single drop of rainfall.” According to the report, rainfall in Iran during this period shows a 77% decrease. In this regard, Mohammadreza Kavianpour, head of the Water Research Institute, emphasized the need for a “change in approach” in agricultural and industrial water consumption on September 22, saying that the country must “move toward producing crops with higher added value that ensure real food security.” He added: “People, farmers, and industries must prepare for these times. In this regard, industries and farmers must change their practices and base their models on new technologies.” Meanwhile, government officials have so far said little about their plans to secure food supplies in the event of reduced crop production. This comes as the latest inflation report from Iran’s Statistical Center shows that point-to-point inflation for bread and cereals in September reached its highest level since July 2022, with bread inflation estimated at nearly 100%. The state-run EcoIran website reported on November 21 that studies show monthly inflation for bread and cereals has sharply increased since December of last year, rising from around 3% to nearly 17% in July 2025 — the highest level since 2022. In recent months, as the water crisis has intensified, officials of Iran’s regime have repeatedly blamed the public and urged citizens to “save water,” warning about declining dam reserves. On the other hand, despite repeated warnings about water resource management, no clear or sustainable plan has been presented, and in some cases temporary province-wide shutdowns have been used as emergency measures.Tax Revenues in Iran 5.5X Higher Than Oil Revenues
Mohammad-Hadi Sobhaniyan, the head of the Tax Administration of Iran’s regime, announced that during the first seven months of the current year (from March 21 to October 23), the ratio of tax revenues to oil revenues in funding the general state budget reached an unprecedented level of 5.5 times. Can this figure be considered a sign of efficiency in the regime’s tax system?
Sobhaniyan said on Saturday, November 29, that the ratio of taxes to GDP had reached its highest level in seven years.
He added that this ratio had risen to 8.3% based on Central Bank figures and to 6.4% according to the Statistical Center of Iran.
The Iranian Regime’s New Tax Law: Collecting Taxes from Citizens on InflationSobhaniyan described this development as “the result of implementing smart policies, improving taxpayer compliance, and expanding systemic auditing,” adding: “The rise in the tax-to-GDP ratio is a clear sign of budget sustainability, reduced reliance on oil, and the enhancement of tax justice.” Earlier, on August 16, Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of Iran’s regime government, issued the directive to enforce the “Speculation and Arbitrage Tax Law,” a law whose legislative process began in 2020 and aims to tax half of the nominal increase in the value of people’s assets caused by inflation. This law had been approved by the regime’s parliament on June 29. “A major portion of the government’s current expenses is funded through taxes” The head of the Tax Administration went on to state that the ratio of taxes to government current expenditures had reached “an unprecedented 65.5%” last year and that a major portion of the government’s current expenses is now funded through tax revenues. According to Sobhaniyan, the ratio of taxes to current expenditures rose from 40.9% in 2021 to 65.5% in 2024. Under Ebrahim Raisi’s administration, from July 2021 to April 2024, Iran’s tax revenues saw a sharp increase; a trend that coincided with growing poverty among Iranian citizens. The state-run daily 7Sobh wrote on November 13 regarding the consequences of rising taxes: “While the government has turned to increasing tax bases to compensate for its budget deficit, the main burden of this policy has fallen on small businesses and minor trade sectors.” According to the report, taxes on businesses such as barbershops, restaurants, small grocery stores, repair shops, and clothing retailers increased on average by 15 to 20% in 2024. Small workshops in the food industry and building-material sectors also faced roughly 10 to 12% increases in performance taxes. Meanwhile, all businesses, in addition to taxes, are facing cost pressures imposed by inflation above 45%. These costs have not only increased production prices but also drastically raised the final price of services. Earlier in June, the state-run Tasnim News Agency wrote that rapid growth in tax revenues in Iran without corresponding growth in GDP or improvements in the business environment could be concerning. This IRGC-affiliated agency described tax revenues surpassing oil revenues as a milestone for Iran’s economy, while also stressing that achieving any positive impact depends on identifying tax evasion, fairly distributing the tax burden, and allocating stable revenues toward production infrastructure and social welfare. However, reviews of media reports and the views of critical economists show that the government has taken no significant measures to develop production infrastructure or expand social welfare. The 5.5-to-1 ratio may stem from declining oil revenues rather than increased tax efficiency. If oil income has dropped due to sanctions, export restrictions, deep discounts, or low-price transfers to China, the tax-to-oil ratio rises artificially. The largest actors in Iran’s economy—such as the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive, the Foundation of the Oppressed, Astan Quds, Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters, hundreds of paramilitary subsidiaries, dozens of religious, promotional, and clerical institutions, and a vast network of front companies tied to security agencies—pay virtually no real taxes. The regime’s reliance on taxation crushes small and medium-sized businesses, resulting in bankruptcies, halted economic activity, and ultimately reduced employment and declining economic growth.
30% Of Emergency Cases in Iran Caused by Air Pollution; Schools Closed In 14 Provinces
Following the worsening air-pollution crisis across various regions of Iran, Mohammad-Esmaeil Tavakoli, the head of Tehran Province’s emergency services, announced that in late November—equivalent to late November in the Gregorian calendar—emergency missions related to air pollution in this province had increased to more than 30%.
He added: “In the past eight days, 28,000 missions have been carried out, 31% of which were related to pollution.”
With the intensification of air pollution and the spread of influenza in Iran, emergency task forces in various provinces announced the broadest wave of school and university closures in recent months for November 30.
Air Pollution Among Five Leading Causes of Death in IranIn Tehran Province, education in all schools and universities is remote on November 30 and December 1. Emergency task forces in fourteen provinces announced the most extensive wave of school and university closures in recent months for December 1. Government offices in the capital have also been instructed to operate with only one-third in-person capacity and to send most employees to remote work. At the same time, truck traffic inside the city has been banned; parks, cinemas, amusement parks, sports halls, and public gathering centers have been closed; and all outdoor and indoor sports or cultural events have been suspended. This decision has affected millions of students and disrupted a significant portion of urban activity.
Severe shortage of emergency equipment in Tehran
As citizen demand for urgent medical services has increased, the head of Tehran Province’s emergency services announced a serious shortage of equipment. Tavakoli said Tehran currently lacks 400 emergency bases and 500 ambulances. He added that Tehran, with a population of about 14 million, has only 200 ambulances, and due to the city’s geography, heavy traffic, and limited access routes, the current resources do not meet the needs of residents. Despite repeated warnings about shortages in emergency resources, Iran’s regime has taken no effective measures in recent years to address equipment shortages or improve medical infrastructure. The head of Tehran Province’s emergency services added that the institution has only two helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft. Tavakoli also defended the decision not to station emergency units in Tehran’s main squares, saying: “In the past, fourteen bus-ambulances were stationed in major squares, which was mostly symbolic.”Continuation of heavy fuel oil (mazut) burning in Iran
In September, Shina Ansari, the head of Iran’s Department of Environment, cited the country’s political conditions, sanctions, and restrictions as reasons for the failure to fully implement the Clean Air Act. Defending the government’s performance, she said low-sulfur mazut was burned last year at the Shazand Arak power plant.Iran’s Power Plants Burning Mazut Despite Ongoing Air PollutionHowever, the state-run Fars News Agency reported on November 30 that fifteen power plants—including Tous, Montazer-e Qaem, Rajaei, Salimi, Sahand, Tabriz, Iranshahr, Montazeri, Zarand, Bandar Abbas, Moftah, Bistoon, Shazand, Ramin, and Isfahan—burn a total of 21.1 million liters of mazut daily. Contrary to earlier promises by officials of Iran’s regime, burning mazut has become an official and relied-upon method for the government to manage the energy crisis, and this practice continues.
A Voice of Defiance: Escape from Iran’s Prison — Massoumeh Raouf’s Powerful Memoir
There are books you read — and then there are books that change the way you see the world. Escape from Iran’s Prison by Massoumeh Raouf is one of those rare stories that burns with truth, courage, and an unshakable belief in freedom.
In this gripping memoir, Massoumeh Raouf — an Iranian writer and activist now living in exile in France — takes us inside the walls of one of Iran’s most feared prisons. She writes not as a victim, but as a witness to a time and system built to silence people like her. What she endured — and how she ultimately found the courage to escape — reveals the extraordinary resilience of those who refuse to surrender their voice.
But this book is more than just a personal story of survival. It is a window into the hidden struggles of countless Iranians who continue to fight, often at great risk, for basic human rights and dignity. Through Raouf’s words, readers around the world can understand — and stand with — a people whose bravery too often goes unseen.
Winner of the 2025 Silver Literary Medal from the Société des Auteurs et Artistes Francophones (SAAF), Escape from Iran’s Prison has been praised for both its literary power and its unflinching honesty.
Every page pulses with defiance and hope. It is a story that reminds us that freedom is never granted — it is claimed, again and again, by those who dare to dream of it.
If you believe in justice, in the strength of the human spirit, and in the power of a single voice to challenge oppression, this book deserves a place on your shelf — and in your heart.
Escape from Iran’s Prison on Amazon
Join the growing chorus of readers standing with Massoumeh Raouf — and with all those in Iran who still fight for the simple right to live free.
Iran’s Water Crisis is Getting Worse
According to data from Iran’s Meteorological Organization, from September 23 to November 28, the country’s average rainfall reached 3.9 millimeters, which represents an 88.3% decrease compared to the long-term average of 33.5 millimeters.
The state-run ISNA news agency wrote on Sunday, November 30, citing the Meteorological Organization, that no rainfall was recorded in the country during the seven days leading up to November 28.
Given the long-term average of 6 millimeters of rainfall for this period, precipitation has experienced a significant 99.3% decline compared to previous years.
Number of Water Wells in Iran 2.5 Times Greater Than All Middle Eastern Countries CombinedISNA added that since the beginning of the current water year, “rainfall in all provinces has been below normal, and four provinces—Bushehr, South Khorasan, Qom, and Yazd—are experiencing the worst conditions, as they have received 100% less rainfall than normal during the current water year.” The water year in Iran begins on September 23 (the first day of autumn). In recent days, new dimensions of Iran’s water shortage crisis have emerged, sounding a serious alarm for daily life and the continued operation of many industries. Ali Bitollahi, head of the Earthquake Engineering and Risk Department at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, described the current water crisis on November 24 as “very serious” and warned that without proper management, the lives of a large number of citizens will be at risk. He added that autumn 2025 has been unprecedented in terms of rainfall over the past five decades and has been recorded as the “driest autumn in the country” during this period.
A 97.4% decrease in rainfall in Tehran Province
ISNA further reported that Tehran Province is also among the regions with low precipitation. Based on long-term data, the province’s average rainfall is estimated at 46.9 millimeters, but in the current water year only 1.2 millimeters have been recorded, indicating a 97.4% decrease. The same agency reported on November 29 that as the water crisis deepens and the government fails to manage resources, parts of Tehran—especially District 18—have entered a phase of “rapid subsidence.” According to the report, Iran is in the midst of one of the most complex periods in its water history, and the drying of wetlands, unprecedented drops in humidity, reduced cloud cover, and intensified land subsidence paint an alarming picture of the country’s climatic future. The state-run Mehr News Agency wrote on November 29 that due to last year’s drought, wheat production in Iran dropped by more than 30%. According to the report, Iran is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, and this crisis could lead to the potential evacuation of Tehran and threaten the stability of the government. Through excessive dam construction, failure to modernize agricultural practices, placing water-intensive industries in arid regions, and chronic mismanagement, Iran’s regime has pushed this crisis to a point of no return.IRGC Seizes Vessel With 13 Crew Members In Persian Gulf
Heydar Henryan Mojarad, commander of the IRGC Navy’s Second District, announced that this military force had seized a ship flying the flag of Eswatini in the Persian Gulf and detained its thirteen crew members.
On Sunday, November 30, Henryan Mojarad told Iran’s state-run television that the vessel was seized for “smuggling 350,000 liters of gas oil (diesel) from Iran.”
The IRGC commander added that the ship had been seized “under a judicial order” and transferred to the shores of Bushehr, and its fuel “is being offloaded and handed over to the Bushehr Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company.”
He also stated that the detained crew members were “from India and one neighboring country.”
Indonesia To Auction Seized Iranian Oil Tanker Carrying 1.2 Million Barrels of Crude OilThis is not the first time the IRGC has seized ships in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman under the accusation of “fuel smuggling.” On November 29, Ali Salami-zadeh, the prosecutor of Kish Island, announced the seizure of two vessels “carrying 80,000 liters of smuggled fuel” in the Persian Gulf waters. In March, the IRGC Navy announced that two foreign tankers named “Star 1” and “Winteg” had been seized in the Persian Gulf. In its statement at the time, the IRGC described these tankers as “fuel-smuggling kingpins” and added that the vessels, which had a total of twenty-five crew members, “were carrying more than three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel.”
“Fuel smuggling” used as justification for raising gasoline prices
Officials of Iran’s regime typically cite “fuel smuggling” as one of the main justifications for raising domestic fuel prices. Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran’s regime, stated in January 2025 that twenty to thirty million liters of gasoline are smuggled daily in Iran and described it as a “catastrophe.” Pezeshkian said: “This volume of smuggling from a supply chain whose production and distribution are in our own hands is absolutely unacceptable.”Iran’s Regime and Venezuela Are the Largest Users of Shadow-Fleet Oil TankersHowever, such large-scale fuel smuggling is impossible without the involvement of the IRGC. The IRGC controls all imports and exports through unofficial ports and airports. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran’s regime, said in July 2011 at a conference on combating smuggling that the profits from smuggling in Iran “would tempt all first-class smugglers in the world, let alone our own smuggler brothers.” His remark was a pointed reference to the role of security and military institutions—especially the IRGC—in organized smuggling in Iran.
Iran’s Regime Carries Out 335 Executions in November, Highest Toll in 37 Years
In a shocking record, Iranian regime authorities hanged 335 prisoners, including 7 women, in November. This includes more than sixty people in various prisons between November 22 and 27. The issuance and approval of death sentences against political prisoners have accelerated, and at least eight prisoners have faced imminent execution in the past two months after their sentences were upheld. This renewed wave is part of the regime’s strategy to intimidate protesters and political dissidents.
A worrying surge in death sentences
Since early November, the Supreme Court of Iran’s regime has upheld the death sentences of eight political prisoners—an indication of the sharp rise in the use of capital punishment as a political repression tool. At least 42 political prisoners now face execution, and dozens more face similar security-related charges that could also lead to death sentences.Iran: 304 Executions in One Month, 1,735 In 2025 So FarMost of these sentences were issued after opaque judicial proceedings, forced confessions, denial of access to lawyers, and extensive violations of due-process rights.
Eight prisoners at immediate risk of execution
The names of the eight political prisoners whose death sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court are: Manouchehr Falah and Peyman Farahavar (a poet) from Lakan Prison in Rasht, Seyed Mohammad-Javad Vafaee Thani from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, Ehsan Faridi from Tabriz Prison, And four other prisoners: Reza Abdali, Masoud Jamei, Alireza Meadasi, and Farshad Etemadi-far from Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz. These individuals represent only prominent examples of a wider pattern that has placed dozens of other prisoners at similar risk.Ambiguous charges, forced confessions, and absence of fair trials
Many cases resulting in death sentences are built on charges such as “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “corruption on earth,” terms systematically used to suppress political dissent.Iran’s ‘No To Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign Marks 94th WeekSuch rulings lack judicial legitimacy and expose those issuing or approving them to possible international prosecution under the principle of universal jurisdiction. At the same time, widespread protests have erupted inside Iran’s prisons over violent treatment of prisoners on death row. On November 12, more than two hundred political prisoners in Evin Prison went on hunger strike to protest the violent transfer of Ehsan Afreshteh—a death-row prisoner. This action is part of the “No-to-Execution Tuesdays” campaign, which has now spread to more than fifty-five prisons.
New legislation expanding the scope of executions
The adoption of the “Law on Intensifying Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with Hostile States” this year has opened the door to more death sentences. The law expands and ambiguously broadens the definition of “espionage,” enabling its use against political activists, cultural figures, journalists, and even social-media users. This development, alongside the rising number of executions, reveals a governing strategy: spreading fear and repression to control a society already on the brink due to poverty, nationwide protests, and political crises.International pressure and United Nations warnings
Iran’s regime has one of the highest execution rates in the world. In 2025 alone, more than 1,790 people have been executed—the highest number since 2015. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has described Iran’s increasing use of the death penalty as “alarmingly high” and called for its immediate halt. A UN fact-finding mission also stressed that many of these executions occur after proceedings that violate fair-trial standards.Executions as a tool of political intimidation
The latest wave of confirmed death sentences against political prisoners, along with dozens now on death row, paints a clear picture of injustice, torture, forced confessions, and politically motivated decisions within Iran’s judicial system. While the regime aims to suppress protests and cultivate fear, such actions may backfire in the current climate and further fuel public anger.Iranian Security Forces Block Families of Executed Political Prisoners from Entering Cemetery
Security agents blocked the families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s from visiting their loved ones’ graves in Khavaran Cemetery. Khavaran is a burial site in southeast Tehran, notorious for containing mass graves of political prisoners executed by Iran’s regime, especially during the 1988 massacre.
Security agents of Iran’s regime prevented the families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s from accessing their graves in Khavaran.
The families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s—particularly during the bloody summer of 1988—went to Khavaran on Friday, November 28, to honor their loved ones. However, security agents kept the cemetery gates closed and prevented the families from reaching the graves.
Iranian Regime Figure Tied to 1988 Crimes Against Humanity Reemerges in Academic CirclesIn the summer of 1988, Iran’s regime carried out a mass execution of political prisoners, most of them members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). It is estimated that around 30,000 prisoners were executed that year. The families gathered beside the outer walls of Khavaran Cemetery and placed flowers on the photos of their loved ones behind the locked gates to commemorate them. Meanwhile, security and military forces tried to scatter the families and push them away by removing and disrupting the flowers placed at the site. For more than four decades, Iran’s regime has spoken to the survivors of its repression and massacres—whether in prisons or on the streets—only through violence, intimidation, and threats. The regime has not even recognized the families’ basic right to visit the graves of their loved ones. Yet it has always faced the steadfast resistance of these families. For more than 40 years, the Khavaran families have never stopped honoring the memory of their loved ones. Even by gathering behind the locked gates of Khavaran, they have ensured that the execution of political prisoners in the 1980s—especially the 1988 massacre—will not be forgotten. In this context, a group of families of political and religious prisoners who died in the 1980s wrote a letter in September 2024 to Masoud Pezeshkian, the current president of Iran’s regime, stating that for more than eleven months they had been barred from entering Khavaran Cemetery and that the agents’ insulting behavior had doubled their suffering. Pezeshkian has not responded to this letter. These families—including those whose loved ones were executed in the summer of 1988—had demanded in their letter the “halt of burying new deceased individuals in this cemetery” and the “removal of all obstacles and restrictions preventing them from visiting and commemorating their loved ones.” They had written: “For eleven months, Khavaran Cemetery has been closed to us. We have repeatedly visited and written to various officials, offices, and institutions of Iran’s regime, requesting the reopening of the cemetery to allow us our right to mourn and freely visit the graves of our loved ones, but we have received no response.” The families and survivors of political and religious prisoners who died in the 1980s added that their letter of grievance—after months of going from one institution to another—was forwarded by the Tehran Provincial Security Council to the Ministry of Intelligence. After several weeks and further follow-up, officials at the Ministry of Intelligence responded with “an insulting attitude and explicitly emphasized that they would not be providing any answers.” In a letter published on January 25, 2025, addressed to Pezeshkian, the families wrote: “We have repeatedly and patiently sought justice through legal means—writing letters and making repeated visits to responsible institutions, the municipality, the city council, and the security office of Behesht Zahra Cemetery—but to no avail. Once again, we demand the most basic human, social, and legal right of survivors to visit the graves of their loved ones, namely the ‘right to mourn.’” Meanwhile, the global Bahá’í community reported in March 2024 that the graves of more than thirty deceased Bahá’í citizens, who had been buried in a mass grave in Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran, had been destroyed.
Tehran’s Subsidence and Drying Wetlands Reveal New Dimensions of Iran’s Water Crisis
As the water crisis deepens and Iran’s regime fails to manage resources, parts of Tehran—especially District 18—have entered a phase of “rapid subsidence.” More than 80% of Iran’s wetlands have also been lost. Experts warn that this trend could expose the entire Iranian plateau to environmental and economic instability.
The state-run ISNA news agency wrote on Friday, November 28, that during a panel discussion on the water crisis it was emphasized that Iran is experiencing one of the most complex periods in its water history—characterized by wetland destruction, unprecedented drops in air humidity, reduced cloud cover, and intensified land subsidence—painting a troubling picture of the country’s climatic future.
Tehran, Mashhad, And Kerman in Emergency Status as Iran’s Water Crisis DeepensWetlands that were once the “breathing arteries” of the Iranian plateau have now in many regions turned into salt flats or cracked basins, and their destruction has been described as a “civilizational threat.” This crisis is unfolding while some officials of Iran’s regime, instead of reforming water management policies, link it to religious issues and compulsory hijab. On November 27, as the water crisis intensified, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran’s regime, referred to the water and energy crisis and asked the public to speak to God for rain and “pray earnestly.” On November 9, Mohsen Araki, a member of the Assembly of Experts, claimed that failure to observe the regime’s compulsory hijab in the streets is the cause of the water crisis, drought, and decreased rainfall in Iran.
Rapid subsidence
Mehdi Zare, a professor at the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, said that wetland drying and reduced humidity are among the “new risks” the country is inadvertently creating instead of controlling.U.S. State Dept: Iran’s Water Crisis Is Result of Decades of Regime MismanagementZare said the water crisis “has been a historical issue,” but excessive extraction of groundwater and disregard for regulations have pushed the crisis to the point where “even cities like Tehran now face annual land subsidence—a completely new phenomenon caused by severe pressure on water resources.” He emphasized: “As long as governance is not orderly, patient, and persistent, no comprehensive plan—no matter how well designed by experts—will be able to control the crisis.” Regarding the latest subsidence figures for Tehran, he said: “A report by the National Cartographic Center shows that land subsidence in Tehran’s District 18 has exceeded 30 centimeters per year, and this trend has continued in 2025. This is the beginning of a process that will affect various parts of the city by the end of this decade.” Zare added that Lake Urmia, now dried out, “is a wound on Iran’s body”: “This wound can disable the entire body; meaning the damage to Lake Urmia can affect the entire Iranian plateau.” Ali Beitollahi, head of engineering seismology and risk at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, said on November 22: “Land subsidence is rapidly expanding across Iran and threatens 40% of the population.” He added: “In the past two years, the rate of subsidence in southern Tehran has tripled.”
