Overview
- Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will begin rationing if no rain arrives by late November, adding that evacuation could follow if dryness continues.
- The Amir Kabir Dam holds about 14 million cubic meters, roughly 8% of capacity, which officials say sustains only about two weeks of supply; the Latyan Dam is near 9%.
- Since September, nationwide rainfall totals just over 2 millimeters, about 75% below last year, with many provinces recording no rain as Tehran enters a sixth straight drought year.
- Officials report water shortages are curbing hydropower output and forcing some thermal plants offline due to a lack of cooling water.
- Authorities have launched cloud seeding as a stopgap, while scientists reject claims of regional “cloud theft” and experts fault decades of mismanagement and heavy agricultural withdrawals.