Overview
- Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi announced on December 3 that Iran will seek to buy water from neighboring countries and expand imports of water‑intensive goods as a formal strategy.
- Key reservoirs serving the capital are near single digits, with Latyan about 9% full and Karaj, which provides roughly a quarter of Tehran’s drinking water, at about 8%.
- Rationing and night-time supply cuts are underway in Tehran and other large cities, and President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned parts of the capital could face evacuation if consumption is not reduced.
- The September–November period was reported as the driest in about 50 years with rainfall roughly 89% below the long-term average, compounding decades of over-extraction and mismanagement cited by experts.
- Prospects for buying water are uncertain because nearby countries also face scarcity, with analysts pointing to Afghanistan as a potential partner but cautioning that any deal would be complex.