The Persian-language page of the U.S. Department of State on the social platform X criticized the Iranian regime’s water-management policies, stating that the current water crisis in Iran is not merely the result of drought but of decades of mismanagement and failed policies. At the same time, Masoud Pezeshkian, the current president of Iran’s regime, said that future conflicts will be over water.
In the post published on Thursday, November 20, the Persian-language page of the U.S. Department of State stated that officials of Iran’s regime ignored experts’ warnings for years and delayed the “urgent reforms needed to ensure sustainability,” and are now disrupting the lives of millions of people through policies such as “water rationing.”
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The U.S. Department of State stressed that this crisis “was not inevitable” and is the direct result of a regime that sacrificed Iran’s natural resources and ecosystems for its own political interests, and now the people of Iran are paying the price.
At the same time, Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran’s regime, said during a trip to Qazvin Province: “Today, the conflict is over water. When we said we should move the capital, we did not have enough budget; if we had it, maybe it would have happened, but even then they said such things are not feasible. But the reality is that we no longer have a choice; it is a necessity.”
Pezeshkian, referring to the thirty-centimeter land subsidence and describing it as a “disaster,” warned about neglecting environmental protection and the mismanagement of water resources.
He added: “We can expand Tehran, but we cannot solve its water problem.”
Pezeshkian continued: “Water can be brought from the Persian Gulf, but each cubic meter of water costs about 5 million rials. Is it logical to pay such an amount for one cubic meter of water? What logic approves this?”
He also warned on November 6 during a trip to Kurdistan Province that if it does not rain in December, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if it still does not rain, Tehran would have to be evacuated.
In response to these statements, Reza Haji Karim, head of Iran’s Water Industry Federation, emphasized that the water situation in the capital is “more concerning” than Pezeshkian’s remarks and “more horrifying” than official statistics.
Meanwhile, as the water crisis intensifies across the country, the Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company announced on November 20 that due to severe water shortages and recent droughts, water for high-consumption customers will be cut for between 12 and 24 hours.
At the same time, Behnam Bakhshi, public relations director of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, said that six consecutive years of drought have moved the province from a “water-sensitive” condition into a “red water alert” stage.
He considered saving Tehran from its current water shortage to require “smart, fair, and future-oriented consumption by citizens,” calling for a 10% reduction in water use and the installation of consumption-reducing devices.
In recent months, as the water crisis has intensified and the regime has failed to manage resources, officials of Iran’s regime have repeatedly blamed the public, warning about declining dam reserves and urging citizens to “save water.”
