As Iran’s water crisis intensifies and the regime fails to address it, the number of domestic media reports examining the causes of the crisis has increased. According to one such report, the number of water wells in Iran is 2.5 times that of all other Middle Eastern countries combined.
The state-run Rokna news agency reported on Monday, November 10, that while Middle Eastern countries collectively have about 400,000 water wells, the number of active and semi-active wells in Iran exceeds one million.
Iranian Regime President Issues Belated Water Shortage Warning—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying
According to the report, half of Iran’s wells—about 500,000—have been dug illegally.
Rokna wrote that these figures indicate the country’s remaining groundwater reserves are being destroyed, and there is no serious plan to halt this process.
In recent days, new dimensions of Iran’s water shortage crisis have come to light, sounding a serious alarm for people’s daily lives and the continuation of many industries.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, said on November 6 that if it does not rain in November, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if the drought continues, plans must be made to evacuate the city.
Thousands of Liters of Hidden Water in Fruit Exports
Despite being in the midst of one of the most severe water crises in its history, Iran continues to export water-intensive agricultural products.
Rokna added that behind every kilogram of watermelon, cucumber, or orange exported from Iran lies thousands of liters of hidden water.
According to the outlet’s estimates, for every one dollar earned from fruit and vegetable exports, about 5,800 liters of groundwater are depleted—meaning that Iran is, in effect, “selling water instead of fruit.”
Rokna further stated that Iran’s water crisis is no longer just an environmental issue but also a security, economic, and social crisis, as the drying of land signals the collapse of livelihoods and leads to forced migration.
The outlet warned: “With every new illegal well, the future of a village—and perhaps a part of ancient Iranian civilization—collapses.”
The Iranian regime is in dire need of foreign currency from fruit exports to Persian Gulf countries because, under international sanctions, it can no longer finance its regional proxy groups as it once did.
31% Decline in Renewable Water Resources
Abdoljalal Eiry, spokesperson for the regime’s parliamentary Civil Engineering Commission, warned on November 10 that the country’s renewable water resources have declined by about 31%.
He explained that the country’s renewable water resources, previously around 130 billion cubic meters, have now fallen to less than 90 billion cubic meters.
Eiry added that the consumption-to-resource ratio has risen to about 90%, whereas, according to global standards, it should not exceed 40%.
Despite years and decades of repeated warnings from experts, Iran’s water governance system has focused on dam construction and digging deep wells instead of investing in infrastructure, while blaming the crisis solely on reduced rainfall.
Student Protests
As water cuts and rationing continued in Al-Zahra University dormitories, a group of students held a protest on the evening of November 8.
Chanting slogans such as “We are waiting for our rights, we won’t leave, we are staying right here,” the students demanded the lifting of restrictions on access to water.
According to student reports, water in the dormitory showers is available only between 8 and 10 p.m. and is cut off for the rest of the day.
Before the protest, images had circulated showing students lined up in the university dormitory courtyard to receive bottled water.
The Amir Kabir student newsletter reported that following the water outage, each student was allocated a limited quota of bottled water.
Abbas Aliabadi, the regime’s Minister of Energy, announced on November 9 that there would be nightly water outages across the country and urged citizens to install domestic water storage tanks.
However, many Iranians cannot afford the cost of purchasing and installing water storage equipment, and previous reports have indicated that prices for such equipment have risen sharply following the government’s recommendation to buy them.
