How the war has made Iran’s water crisis worse

As Iran engages in negotiations with the United States to end the three-month war, it is confronted with a water crisis that has been overshadowed by the conflict.

Iran was already facing a multi-year drought and decline in precipitation, but the US-Israel war has added to the water woes after desalination plants, water pipelines and other civilian infrastructures were hit.

The country’s main water supplies, including its reservoirs, rivers and groundwater reserves, are running dry amid years of mismanagement through poor agricultural practices, overbuilding of dams and increased well drilling.

According to the Aqueduct Data of the World Resources Institute, which measures water risks, Iran’s baseline water stress score falls into the “extremely high” category, meaning the country uses more than 80 percent of its renewable water supplies in an average year.

Here’s what we know about the water crisis and how the war worsened the situation:

How bad were things?

In November 2025, Iran faced its worst water crisis in decades, following its fifth consecutive year of drought, which had left water reserves across the country nearly empty.

Water levels were so severe that Tehran’s Amir Kabir Dam only held 8 percent of its capacity, while across the country, 19 major dams had run dry.

At the time, President Masoud Pezehkian warned that if it did not rain by December, water would have to be rationed, and if there was still no rainfall, Tehran might have to be evacuated.

While the evacuations were avoided, the water crisis led to protests in December 2025 and into January over worsening living conditions and rising inflation.

Water shortages also led to protests in 2021 in the southern Khuzestan province, and protests broke out in 2018, with participants accusing the government of water mismanagement.

How did it get to this point?

Iran’s water crisis is the result of compounding factors, including climate change, agricultural practices, increased water drilling, declining groundwater levels, and poor governance.

Global warming has impacted rainfall patterns in the country, leading to long droughts and increased rates of water evaporation, which in turn affects the country’s water supplies.

Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran has promoted self-sufficiency, which has become an even higher priority amid international sanctions.

Iran has prioritised food security and promoted crops such as rice in areas not suitable for high water consumption. Sanctions have also made it harder for Iran to modernise its water infrastructure.

Moreover, subsidised household and water pricing have promoted the country’s aim of self-sufficiency but have led to excessive irrigation and over-pumping. The country’s self-sufficiency policy accounts for about 90 percent of Iran’s water use.