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State Cleric Blames ‘Women Not Wearing Hijab’ For Drought in Iran

Sia Rajabi
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State Cleric Blames ‘Women Not Wearing Hijab’ For Drought in Iran

As Iran’s water crisis worsens and the regime fails to manage its water resources, a member of the Assembly of Experts claimed that the regime’s desired form of mandatory hijab not being observed in the streets is the cause of Iran’s water crisis, drought, and reduced rainfall.

On Sunday, November 9, Mohsen Araki said: “Drought, water crisis, and reduced rainfall are signs of God’s warning to awaken us from negligence and inattentiveness toward Him.”

He added: “The Islamic Revolution is built on the blood of martyrs, and it is not right that our streets become a parade ground for open sin, unveiled women, and public immorality.”

The Assembly of Experts member continued: “These behaviors have consequences, and a society known for its faith and Shiism must be sensitive toward such deviations.”

Iranian Regime President Issues Belated Water Shortage Warning—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

These remarks reflect the recurring approach of Iranian regime officials, who instead of examining scientific causes or offering solutions to the water crisis, attribute it to “individual sin” and “women’s appearance.” By repeating religious rhetoric, they avoid accountability for mismanagement and failed policies.

In such narratives, technical questions and demands for transparency are sidelined and replaced by moral warnings and police threats.

Independent experts in water and environmental issues have emphasized that Iran’s drought results from a combination of the water mafia’s influence, climatic trends, and decades of structural mismanagement—including the expansion of water-intensive and subsidy-driven agriculture, overexploitation of groundwater, and lack of sustainable consumption models in industries and cities.

According to them, reducing this multilayered crisis to the issue of hijab not only lacks any scientific basis but also hinders the political will necessary to reform water policies and hold responsible institutions accountable.

Nighttime water cuts in Iran

As Iran’s water crisis continues, Abbas Aliabadi, the regime’s minister of energy, announced on November 9 that nighttime water cuts will be implemented across the country and urged people to install household water storage systems.

Ahad Vazifeh, head of the National Center for Climate and Drought Crisis Management, said forecasts show that no significant rain system will pass over Iran in the next 10 days.

Mehdi Chamran, head of Tehran’s City Council, also proposed holding a “rain prayer” as one of the ways to address the water shortage crisis.

He added: “People today have forgotten that in the past, people used to go into the desert, pray for rain, and they succeeded. Alongside all other measures for water shortage, we should not neglect this.”

On November 6, regime president Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if it does not rain in December, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if the drought persists, the capital will have to be evacuated.

In response to these remarks, Reza Haji Karim, head of Iran’s Water Industry Federation, stressed that the water situation in the capital is “more worrying” than Pezeshkian’s statements and “more terrifying” than official statistics suggest.

Experts say Iran’s water crisis reflects years of mismanagement, flawed policies, and the regime’s neglect in reforming key structures in water resource management—a crisis that now makes accountability and reform unavoidable.

Air Pollution In Khuzestan Caused More Than 1,600 Deaths In Past Year

Hoshang Amiri
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Air Pollution In Khuzestan Caused More Than 1,600 Deaths In Past Year

Mehrdad Sharifi, deputy director of health at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, announced that air pollution in the past year has caused the deaths of 1,624 people in Khuzestan province.

On November 9, Sharifi said that in the past year, air pollution has inflicted more than 427 million dollars in damages to the health sector.

He added that in October alone, at least 22,000 people were hospitalized in Khuzestan due to air pollution.

Critical Air Pollution in Iran’s Major Cities

The Research Center of Iran’s regime Majlis (parliament)had previously announced that in 2023, air pollution was responsible for the premature deaths of more than 30,000 people across 57 cities with a combined population of about 48 million.

In August 2025, Iranian media also reported that air pollution in the previous year had caused the deaths of 6,000 people in the capital, Tehran.

According to government officials, Isfahan province has the highest number of cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the country, largely due to air pollution.

The air pollution situation in Khuzestan is extremely critical, with the air quality in several cities of the province often categorized as “purple” or even “brown”—the most hazardous levels—on many days of the year.

According to Sharifi, the air in the cities of Ahvaz, Dasht-e Azadegan, and Hoveyzeh has been classified as “healthy” for only two days over the past few months.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is divided into six categories—“clean,” “acceptable,” “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” “unhealthy,” “very unhealthy,” and “hazardous”—with purple and brown representing the most dangerous levels for breathing.

This index is determined based on measurements of various air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns.

With the continuation of air pollution in Khuzestan, all elementary and lower secondary schools in the province will remain closed until late November.

So far, several sources have been cited as contributors to Khuzestan’s air pollution, including industrial emissions, fires in the Iraqi part of the Hoor al-Azim wetland, burning of crop residues, rice and sugarcane cultivation, fires at old waste sites, and vehicle emissions.

However, air pollution is not limited to Khuzestan province; this crisis has affected citizens’ lives across other cities and provinces in Iran as well.

In recent years, air pollution levels in Iran have repeatedly reached critical thresholds, while frequent dust storms have further exacerbated environmental crises and public health threats.

Despite the growing severity of the problem, Iran’s regime has so far failed to introduce any coherent or sustainable plan to control or manage this crisis.

Belated Warning by Regime President About Water Shortages—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

Jubin Katiraie
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0
Belated Warning by Regime President About Water Shortages—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

The head of Iran’s Water Industry Federation emphasized that Tehran’s water situation is worsening exponentially, warning that the capital’s water condition is “more concerning” than Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent remarks about the need to evacuate Tehran and “more terrifying” than official statistics indicate.

Reza Haji Karim, in an interview with the state-run Didban Iran website published on Saturday, November 8, said: “The reality is that Tehran’s water situation is as bad and even more alarming than what the president warned about.”

Iranian Regime President Issues Belated Water Shortage Warning—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

The head of the Water Industry Federation stressed: “This warning has come very late.”

On November 6, Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if it does not rain by late November, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if the drought continues, the city must be evacuated.

Amid the ongoing water crisis across many provinces in Iran, Mohsen Ardakani, the director-general of Tehran’s Water and Wastewater Company, described the capital’s water status as “critical and concerning.”

The head of the Water Industry Federation, referring to the “severe depletion of Tehran’s groundwater reservoirs,” added: “Currently, 62% of Tehran’s water supply comes from underground sources and 38% from surface water, which is almost exhausted or nearing depletion.”

Haji Karim also questioned the statistics on Tehran’s dam reserves, saying: “The figure that states only 5% of the water reserves in the dams supplying Tehran remains is not very accurate — the reality is somewhat more terrifying than the official numbers.”

While some Iranian media outlets have reported unofficial water rationing in Tehran, the head of the Water Industry Federation said: “This should have started much earlier. We had repeatedly requested in meetings with national water officials that water rationing in Tehran begin sooner, though this measure comes with its own challenges.”

He added that by rationing, he meant that “water, like electricity, should be cut off at specific times of the day, district by district.”

The solutions are not feasible in the short term

Currently, various solutions are being discussed to tackle the water crisis, such as water recycling systems, changing consumption patterns, using water-saving devices, public education, and reducing agricultural water use.

The Karaj Dam’s Reservoir Can Only Supply Tehran’s Drinking Water for Two Weeks

The head of the Water Industry Federation stressed: “These measures cannot be implemented in the short term, but some could show results within a few months.”

He explained: “For example, in densely populated areas, wastewater can be recycled and reused for various purposes such as green spaces, cooling towers, or toilet flushing. In the medium term, revising agricultural policies can help reduce water consumption in that sector.”

Haji Karim continued: “The ultimate solution is to prevent 30 million cubic meters of Tehran’s water from being used for construction or non-essential purposes. Drinking water should not be used for toilet flushing, and the province of Tehran should not consume 1.8 billion cubic meters of water for agriculture.”

The water transfer policy has failed

In recent months, Iran’s regime announced plans to transfer water from other regions to Tehran, but the head of the Water Industry Federation emphasized: “In principle, water transfer policies have failed.”

He added: “Unfortunately, some officials believe this project could save Tehran, but even Taleghan itself depends on rainfall. Naturally, when there’s no rain in Taleghan, there’s no water to fill the dam. The Taleghan Dam is now facing complete dryness.”

Criticism over Tehran’s decaying water infrastructure

Pezeshkian’s comments about water rationing in Tehran if it doesn’t rain in November and the possible evacuation of the capital have sparked criticism from media outlets, including those aligned with the regime’s opposition factions.

In the latest criticism, Hamed Pak-Tinat, founder of the Association of Economic Activists, wrote in an Instagram post criticizing Pezeshkian’s remarks: “Instead of holding useless meetings with the Meteorological Organization and relying on rain, find $200 million—maybe from the budget of one of those meaningless cultural centers—and spend it on repairing Tehran’s decaying water pipes.”

In August of last year, Ali Beytollahi, head of the earthquake department at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, said: “About 40% of the country’s drinking water network is very old and practically worn out.”

He added: “Thirty percent of major ground sinkholes have originated from ruptured water pipes and powerful water leaks.”

According to a report by the Ministry of Energy published last year, the volume of leaked and unaccounted-for water nationwide amounts to about 1.9 billion cubic meters annually, equivalent to the yearly water consumption of about 26 million urban residents.

In Tehran alone, water losses from transmission network leaks are estimated at about 130 million cubic meters, roughly twice the volume of Lake Chitgar.

Over the past decades, Iran’s regime’s water management system has neglected investment in infrastructure, despite repeated expert warnings, focusing instead on dam construction and deep well drilling while reducing the water shortage issue merely to a lack of rainfall.

Meanwhile, regime officials, following superstitious and ideological approaches, have absurdly blamed droughts and water crises on women’s non-compliance with the mandatory hijab.

Iranian Regime MP: The Government No Longer Has Money To Import Gasoline

Sia Rajabi
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0
Iranian Regime MP: The Government No Longer Has Money To Import Gasoline

Farhad Shahraki, the first deputy chairman of the Energy Committee in Iran’s regime Majlis (parliament), said in an interview with domestic media that the budget allocated for gasoline imports this year has been depleted in the first few months, and the government no longer has foreign currency to buy gasoline. He made the remarks while referring to the possibility of changing the price of gasoline purchased with the “free fuel card” at gas stations.

On Saturday, November 8, Shahraki told a reporter from the state-run Young Journalists Club that this situation has prompted the government to consider increasing gasoline prices.

He added that the government is unaware of the issue, saying, “So far, this matter has not been raised in the Majlis, and even the Energy Committee has not been consulted.”

The member of the Energy Committee referred to ongoing debates and speculations in recent weeks about a possible fuel price increase, saying, “It is possible that the free fuel card at gas stations will undergo a price change, in order to encourage fuel savings.”

Shahraki, however, emphasized, “The government does not need Majlis’ approval to increase gasoline prices.”

Nevertheless, Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the government, announced on Tuesday, November 4, that the government has not yet made any decision to raise the price of rationed gasoline, which will continue to be sold at current rates.

This comes while Iran’s regime president, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated on October 23 that there is “no doubt” about the need to increase gasoline prices.

Reports about Pezeshkian’s government planning to raise fuel prices have been circulating for weeks.

Hossein Samsami, a member of the Economic Committee of the regime’s Majlis, confirmed on Friday, November 7, that a “three-tier fuel pricing system” had been approved in the meeting of the heads of the three branches of power.

According to him, under the new plan, gasoline will be sold at three different prices: the first 60 liters at 15,000 rials per liter, the next 100 liters at 30,000 rials per liter, and the remainder up to 160 liters at 50,000 rials per liter. Currently, one U.S. dollar is worth about 1.1 million rials, and a worker’s monthly wage is roughly 130 dollars.

Warning about the consequences of rising gasoline prices

On Wednesday, November 5, regime MP Ebrahim Rezaei warned about the rise in gasoline prices, saying that there are “rumors about an upcoming price hike,” the “method of implementation” of which could be “very dangerous.”

Rezaei added, “Given the importance of this matter for the country, care must be taken to ensure that some of the past tragedies are not repeated.”

The last gasoline price increase in Iran in November 2019 triggered a wave of widespread nationwide protests that were brutally crushed by the Iranian regime’s security forces.

According to reports, at least 1,500 people were killed and thousands more were arrested during those protests.

Tribunals against Criminals in Iran

Pezeshkian’s government fabricates figures to justify the fuel price hike

According to government officials, raising prices is “inevitable” due to what they describe as the “high cost of gasoline production.”

Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, executive deputy to Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian regime’s president, said on November 5, “Each liter of gasoline costs the government 340,000 rials, but we sell it for 15,000 or 30,000 rials.”

However, studies show that the government’s actual production cost is about 90% lower than the stated figure. It is clear that Iran’s regime is trying to use every possible tactic to cover its budget deficit while continuing to spend oil revenues on funding its regional proxy groups and suppressing its own people.

Tehran Has Sent One Billion Dollars to Hezbollah This Year

Esmaeil Mohades
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Tehran Has Sent One Billion Dollars to Hezbollah This Year

John Hurley, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said that despite sanctions, the Iranian regime has sent about one billion dollars to Hezbollah this year.

In an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, he added: “There’s a moment in Lebanon now. If we could get Hezbollah to disarm, the Lebanese people could get their country back.”

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence said the key to disarming Hezbollah is cutting off Iran’s funding, and that if Hezbollah can be disarmed, the Lebanese people can reclaim their country.

Hezbollah Secretly Rebuilding Itself with Help from Iran’s Regime

On November 6, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned several active members of Hezbollah involved in financial operations, as part of efforts to support the group’s disarmament.

In 2025, they transferred tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah.

According to the Treasury Department, their methods included selling Iranian oil and goods and transferring the proceeds to Lebanon through both licensed and unlicensed exchange houses.

Tehran’s role in rebuilding Hezbollah

Israel says Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities and, despite a ceasefire agreement, carried out heavy airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday.

The Lebanese government is committed to disarming all non-state groups, including Hezbollah, which was founded in 1982 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

While Hezbollah has not prevented government forces in southern Lebanon from seizing its depots, it has rejected complete disarmament.

During his first trip to the Middle East since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Hurley raised the issue of Iran in meetings with government officials, bankers, and private sector executives.

He said: “Even with everything Iran has been through, even with the economy not in great shape, they’re still pumping a lot of money to their terrorist proxies.”

The Shah’s Despotism Laid the Foundation for the Clerical Dictatorship in Iran

Mehdi Hosseini
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The Shah’s Despotism Laid the Foundation for the Clerical Dictatorship in Iran

At the invitation of Judy Sgro, a member of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, and Mike Cooper, a Conservative Party MP—co-chairs of the Canadian Committee of Friends of a Democratic Iran—a parliamentary session titled “Iran at a Crossroads: Geopolitical Changes and Human Rights Realities” was held. The meeting was attended by Canadian MPs, senators, and representatives of the Iranian-Canadian community.

Judy Sgro spoke about her support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), saying that the council “provides accurate and comprehensive information about Iran—whether on human rights, nuclear issues, or regional destabilization.” She added that this credibility has allowed the NCRI “to unite a broad spectrum of political voices around this goal.”

Opening the session, Michael Cooper noted that recent months had seen both a sharp increase in executions and a significant weakening of Tehran’s regional influence. He referred to new United Nations sanctions and the reactivation of the “snapback” mechanism by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom under the JCPOA framework. At home, he said, decades of corruption and mismanagement had pushed millions of Iranians below the poverty line, with inflation and power shortages now part of daily life. More than a thousand executions have reportedly taken place in the first nine months of 2025.

Guest speaker Senator Robert Torricelli, a former U.S. senator and long-time advocate for human rights in Iran, gave an extensive overview of Tehran’s domestic repression, its international posture, and the shortcomings of Western policy. He said Western governments bore historical responsibility for supporting the Shah’s dictatorship, which paved the way for clerical rule, and now had a duty to help end this cycle of despotism.

Torricelli recalled that the 1979 revolution had been intended to establish democracy and improve living standards but was “stolen” by the clerical establishment. Today, he said, the Iranian Resistance has become a global movement committed to democratic values, including gender equality, free elections, and peaceful coexistence with neighboring states. He warned against efforts to promote monarchist restoration as an alternative, arguing that portraying the choice as “mullahs or monarchs” serves only the interests of the current rulers.

“The NCRI and the PMOI,” he said, “have articulated a non-nuclear, democratic vision that aligns with universal principles of governance and human rights — the very outcome the world should support.”

Iranian Regime President Issues Belated Water Shortage Warning—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

Hoshang Amiri
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0
Iranian Regime President Issues Belated Water Shortage Warning—The Reality Is Even More Terrifying

The head of Iran’s Water Industry Federation emphasized that Tehran’s water situation is worsening exponentially, warning that the capital’s water condition is “more concerning” than Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent remarks about the need to evacuate Tehran and “more terrifying” than official statistics indicate.

Reza Haji Karim, in an interview with the state-run Didban Iran website published on Saturday, November 8, said: “The reality is that Tehran’s water situation is as bad and even more alarming than what the president warned about.”

The Karaj Dam’s Reservoir Can Only Supply Tehran’s Drinking Water for Two Weeks

The head of the Water Industry Federation stressed: “This warning has come very late.”

On November 6, Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if it does not rain by late November, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if the drought continues, the city must be evacuated.

Amid the ongoing water crisis across many provinces in Iran, Mohsen Ardakani, the director-general of Tehran’s Water and Wastewater Company, described the capital’s water status as “critical and concerning.”

The head of the Water Industry Federation, referring to the “severe depletion of Tehran’s groundwater reservoirs,” added: “Currently, 62% of Tehran’s water supply comes from underground sources and 38% from surface water, which is almost exhausted or nearing depletion.”

Haji Karim also questioned the statistics on Tehran’s dam reserves, saying: “The figure that states only 5% of the water reserves in the dams supplying Tehran remains is not very accurate — the reality is somewhat more terrifying than the official numbers.”

While some Iranian media outlets have reported unofficial water rationing in Tehran, the head of the Water Industry Federation said: “This should have started much earlier. We had repeatedly requested in meetings with national water officials that water rationing in Tehran begin sooner, though this measure comes with its own challenges.”

He added that by rationing, he meant that “water, like electricity, should be cut off at specific times of the day, district by district.”

The solutions are not feasible in the short term

Currently, various solutions are being discussed to tackle the water crisis, such as water recycling systems, changing consumption patterns, using water-saving devices, public education, and reducing agricultural water use.

The head of the Water Industry Federation stressed: “These measures cannot be implemented in the short term, but some could show results within a few months.”

He explained: “For example, in densely populated areas, wastewater can be recycled and reused for various purposes such as green spaces, cooling towers, or toilet flushing. In the medium term, revising agricultural policies can help reduce water consumption in that sector.”

Haji Karim continued: “The ultimate solution is to prevent 30 million cubic meters of Tehran’s water from being used for construction or non-essential purposes. Drinking water should not be used for toilet flushing, and the province of Tehran should not consume 1.8 billion cubic meters of water for agriculture.”

The water transfer policy has failed

In recent months, Iran’s regime announced plans to transfer water from other regions to Tehran, but the head of the Water Industry Federation emphasized: “In principle, water transfer policies have failed.”

He added: “Unfortunately, some officials believe this project could save Tehran, but even Taleghan itself depends on rainfall. Naturally, when there’s no rain in Taleghan, there’s no water to fill the dam. The Taleghan Dam is now facing complete dryness.”

Criticism over Tehran’s decaying water infrastructure

Pezeshkian’s comments about water rationing in Tehran if it doesn’t rain in November and the possible evacuation of the capital have sparked criticism from media outlets, including those aligned with the regime’s opposition factions.

In the latest criticism, Hamed Pak-Tinat, founder of the Association of Economic Activists, wrote in an Instagram post criticizing Pezeshkian’s remarks: “Instead of holding useless meetings with the Meteorological Organization and relying on rain, find $200 million—maybe from the budget of one of those meaningless cultural centers—and spend it on repairing Tehran’s decaying water pipes.”

In August of last year, Ali Beytollahi, head of the earthquake department at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, said: “About 40% of the country’s drinking water network is very old and practically worn out.”

He added: “Thirty percent of major ground sinkholes have originated from ruptured water pipes and powerful water leaks.”

According to a report by the Ministry of Energy published last year, the volume of leaked and unaccounted-for water nationwide amounts to about 1.9 billion cubic meters annually, equivalent to the yearly water consumption of about 26 million urban residents.

In Tehran alone, water losses from transmission network leaks are estimated at about 130 million cubic meters, roughly twice the volume of Lake Chitgar.

Over the past decades, Iran’s regime’s water management system has neglected investment in infrastructure, despite repeated expert warnings, focusing instead on dam construction and deep well drilling while reducing the water shortage issue merely to a lack of rainfall.

Meanwhile, regime officials, following superstitious and ideological approaches, have absurdly blamed droughts and water crises on women’s non-compliance with the mandatory hijab.

Global Athletes Demand UN Action to Stop Execution of Iranian Boxer

Sia Rajabi
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0
Global Athletes Demand UN Action to Stop Execution of Iranian Boxer

A group of prominent international and Iranian athletes issued a joint statement addressed to the United Nations, international sports federations, and governments, calling for the urgent rescue of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 30-year-old boxing champion and coach, whose execution they said is imminent.

Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani has been sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth through arson and destruction of public property.”

Babak Paknia, the attorney for Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, who was among the protesters in November 2019, stated that his client’s death sentence has been upheld by Branch 9 of Iran’s Supreme Court, despite “numerous flaws” in the case.

Iran’s Regime Sentences 54 “Political and Security” Prisoners to Death

The statement was signed by a group of prominent athletes, including Martina Navrátilová, former world number one tennis player from the United States; Sharron Davies, British Olympic medalist swimmer; Riley Gaines, American swimmer and twelve-time U.S. national champion; Craig Andrew Foster, former captain of Australia’s national soccer team; and Bahram Mavedat, former goalkeeper of Iran’s national soccer team, along with other renowned sports figures.

“We, athletes and sports figures from around the world, strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s decision on 4 October 2025 to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 30-year-old boxing champion and coach from Mashhad,” the letter writes.

In their statement, they strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s October 4, 2025 decision to uphold the execution sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 30-year-old boxing champion and coach from Mashhad.

They emphasized that Mohammad Javad has spent over five years in prison under torture and solitary confinement, solely for participating in the pro-democracy protests of 2019 and for supporting the democratic opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

The statement adds that his case is not the only tragedy. The Iranian regime has a dark record of executing athletes for their beliefs. These include Habib Khabiri, former captain of Iran’s national soccer team, and Forouzan Abdi, captain of the women’s national volleyball team, the latter of whom was executed in the 1988 massacre alongside 30,000 political prisoners. In 2020, Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari was also hanged after participating in peaceful protests in 2018.

The signatory athletes also stressed that in recent months, Iranian regime authorities have executed many other protesters on similarly baseless charges, without any accountability. These political executions are a brutal attempt by the regime to intimidate and silence a population no longer willing to tolerate a corrupt and oppressive rule. Sport should inspire hope, unity, and courage. Executing an athlete for his political views is a direct attack on these values and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out.

They called on the United Nations, international sports federations, and governments to take immediate action to save the life of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani. The world must not stay silent while the voices of Iran’s champions are silenced.

The signatories of this statement are as follows:

Martina Navrátilová (Czech Republic / United States); former world number one tennis player
Sharron Davies (United Kingdom), Olympic medalist swimmer
Riley Gaines (United States), twelve-time NCAA national swimming champion
Craig Andrew Foster (Australia), former captain of the Australian national football team
Tracy Edwards (United Kingdom), 1990 Yachtswoman of the Year; skipper of the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race
Carilyn Johnson (United States), endurance runner; four-time U.S. national team member, winner of two gold and one silver world medals in 24-hour ultramarathons
Ali Ziaei (Canada), national Sanshou champion; member of Canada’s Wushu national team
Inga Thompson (United States), cyclist; three-time Olympian, ten-time U.S. national champion, and three-time world medalist
Kim McGinnis Russell (United States), former head coach of women’s lacrosse at Oberlin College; Member, Women in Sport Commission, World Lacrosse (2024)
Nancy Hogshead Makar (United States), swimmer; three-time Olympic gold medalist
Dr. Linda Blade (Canada), coach; national track and field champion and NCAA All-American
Bahram Modat (Iran), former goalkeeper of Iran’s national football team
Patricia Reid (United Kingdom), rower; four-time national champion, silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games
Marissa Williamson Pohlman (Australia), Olympic boxer; gold medalist at the 2023 Pacific Games
Florent Betorangal (France), martial artist; former champion of the “100% Fight” organization
André Matias (Angola), Olympic rower; double silver medalist in African Championships
Monica Aksamit (United States), saber fencer; Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist
Shea McAleese (New Zealand), Olympic field hockey player; silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games
Asghar Adibi (Iran), former player of Iran’s national football team
Brendan Schwab (Australia), former executive director of the World Players Association
Milad Sharif (United States), wrestler; 2025 U.S. beach wrestling gold medalist.

Pezeshkian: If It Doesn’t Rain, Tehran Must Be Evacuated

Mehdi Hosseini
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0
Pezeshkian: If It Doesn’t Rain, Tehran Must Be Evacuated

Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, warned about the water resource crisis, saying that if it doesn’t rain in December, water in Tehran will be rationed, and if the drought continues, Tehran will have to be evacuated.

During his trip to Kurdistan Province on Thursday, November 6, he added: “If after water rationing there is still no rain, then we will have no water at all, and Tehran must be emptied.”

As the water crisis continues across many provinces of Iran, the director-general of Tehran’s Water and Wastewater Company said that the capital’s water situation is at a “red” and alarming level.

The Karaj Dam’s Reservoir Can Only Supply Tehran’s Drinking Water for Two Weeks

According to official data from the Water Resources Management Company, from the beginning of the current water year (September 23) to October 25 — a period of 33 days — Iran received only 2.3 millimeters of rainfall, and 21 out of the country’s 31 provinces saw no rain at all.

With water levels in Tehran’s and Karaj’s dams dropping to their lowest in 60 years and wells in Mashhad drying up, water scarcity in Iran has reached one of its most critical stages. Despite serious criticism of the Iranian regime’s mismanagement of water resources, provincial officials speak of the need for rationing and conservation.

Mohsen Ardakani, CEO of the Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, announced on Thursday, November 6, that the capital’s surface water resources are currently in a “red and very fragile condition.”

Ardakani stressed that there has been no recorded rainfall in the new water year in Tehran, adding that this is the sixth consecutive drought for the capital, while the previous water year was the driest in the past century.

He added: “Last year at this same time, rainfall in Tehran was 20 millimeters, and the long-term average is 30 millimeters, but now it has dropped to zero.”

Behzad Parsa, CEO of Tehran’s Regional Water Company, announced on November 2 that currently only 14 million cubic meters of water remain behind the Karaj (Amir Kabir) Dam, which can supply Tehran’s drinking water for only two more weeks.

He stated that the inflow to Tehran’s dams has decreased by 43% compared to last year.

Ardakani also emphasized the need for water conservation and said that if Tehran residents could save an additional 10% on top of the 10% reduction already achieved since the start of the year, “we can overcome the current crisis.”

In recent months, as the water crisis has intensified, Iranian regime officials have repeatedly blamed the public and urged citizens to “conserve water,” warning of declining dam reserves.

The Karaj Dam is drying up

Mehdi Maghsoudi, head of Karaj’s Water Affairs Department, announced on Thursday that only 31 million cubic meters of water remain in the 180-million-cubic-meter Karaj Dam reservoir — 50 million cubic meters less than at the same time last year — and it may “run out in a few days.”

Maghsoudi said: “The inflow to the Karaj Dam is now two cubic meters per second, while six cubic meters of water per second are being drawn from it for drinking water in Karaj and Tehran.”

He emphasized: “At this rate, we will have water for about 15 more days. We hope that effective rainfall will occur in the highlands by then because, in reality, the dam’s inflow is less than its outflow, and we are essentially using up the remaining reserves.”

Possible water rationing in Mashhad

In Mashhad, too, the water shortage is critical.

Hassan Hosseini, Mashhad’s special governor, announced that a water rationing plan for this metropolis is under consideration and that if the current weather conditions continue, regional water rationing in Mashhad will begin in early autumn.

He noted that the emergency wells dug to provide water for Mashhad are drying up one after another and that measures such as nighttime water cuts are being considered to cope with the water crisis.

Hosseini said that to complete projects such as the water transfer pipeline from the Hezar Masjed Mountains to Mashhad, 50 trillion rials (equivalent to 5 trillion tomans) in funding is needed.

Hossein Esmaeilian, CEO of Mashhad’s Water and Wastewater Company, stated on August 31 that the city is under severe water stress and that water reserves are at a minimal level.

He added: “Since 2022, Mashhad’s water reserves have worsened day by day, and this year the situation has approached a crisis.”

On August 26, Mansour Sohrabi, an ecology and environmental expert, told Iran International that across the country, dams have been built in places where they should never have been constructed, pointing to the Iranian regime’s mismanagement of the water crisis.

Iran 20-Year-Old Sets Himself on Fire Over Kiosk Demolition

Esmaeil Mohades
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Iran 20-Year-Old Sets Himself on Fire Over Kiosk Demolition

Ahmad Baledi, a 20-year-old student, set himself on fire in protest against the demolition of his family’s kiosk by the Ahvaz municipality. He suffered burns on about 70% of his body and has been hospitalized in Taleghani Hospital in Ahvaz, where his condition is reported to be critical.

The Karun Human Rights Organization reported that on the morning of November 2, municipal forces from District 3 of Ahvaz, accompanied by police officers, went to the workplace of Mojahed Baledi in Zeytoon Park and demolished his kiosk without notifying him or securing his presence.

At the time, Mojahed Baledi’s wife and their son Ahmad were present at the scene and staged a sit-in inside the kiosk to prevent its destruction. However, the agents continued with the demolition.

According to the report, the deputy for services at Ahvaz District 3 municipality “acted violently and unprofessionally,” grabbing Mojahed Baledi’s wife by the hand and throwing her out of the kiosk.

One-Third of Iranians Deprived of Basic Needs

In response to this “violent and unjust act,” Ahmad Baledi poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire in front of the officers as an act of protest against the “injustice committed.”

According to eyewitnesses, some officers at the scene made no effort to prevent the tragedy and instead watched indifferently — even mockingly.

In recent years, there have been numerous cases in Iran of workers setting themselves on fire or committing suicide due to dismissals, harsh working conditions, delayed or unpaid wages, economic hardship, and other pressures.

In one of the most recent cases, on November 3, another Arab citizen in Ahvaz, named Kamal Baledi, took his own life due to psychological distress and financial hardship.

A kiosk that had official permission 25 years ago

The Karun Human Rights Organization reported that about 25 years ago, Mojahed Baledi obtained an official municipal license to set up a small kiosk and restaurant in Zeytoon Park, Ahvaz.

According to the organization, this kiosk was one of the few Arab-owned establishments among more than 400 kiosks operating across the city of Ahvaz.

In recent years, he had repeatedly been subjected to pressure and discriminatory treatment by some local officials, and there had been several prior attempts to demolish his kiosk.

The Karun Human Rights Organization expressed deep regret over this incident, calling for serious legal action against those responsible for this inhumane act, and emphasized that the violated rights of the Baledi family must be restored and properly addressed.

As of the time of this report, neither the Ahvaz municipality nor the police had issued any response regarding the incident.

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