President Pezeshkian: Iran’s water crisis has become a matter of survival

WISE NEWS PRESS / TEHRAN, IRAN — DECEMBER 23, 2025

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Tuesday that the country's escalating water crisis has transformed into a strategic and vital matter of national survival, requiring an urgent, science-based collective response.

Presenting the new fiscal year’s budget draft to the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), Pezeshkian emphasized that the warnings from environmental experts can no longer be ignored. Citing a comprehensive report prepared by a 80-member task force, the President stated that the challenges arising from mismanagement and drought would be nearly impossible to rectify if immediate action is not taken.

"Tehran may face evacuation in extreme scenarios"

President Pezeshkian highlighted the dire situation in the capital, noting that insufficient rainfall has pushed water reservoirs to critical levels. Reiterating his previous warnings, he stated that if the current trajectory continues, the government might be forced to consider the unthinkable: the partial evacuation of Tehran.

"Water is a matter of solidarity for Iran," Pezeshkian told lawmakers. He urged all state institutions to strictly follow expert recommendations to prevent a collapse of the urban water infrastructure, which serves over 10 million residents in the metropolitan area.

Management failures and strategic risks

According to reports from Iranian state television, the budget speech also addressed systemic management errors that have exacerbated the impact of climate change. Pezeshkian stressed that water management must be depoliticized and handled through scientific cooperation.

Experts have warned for years that Iran is facing "water bankruptcy" due to over-extraction of groundwater and inefficient agricultural practices. The new budget presented by the President marks one of the most significant official acknowledgments of the water crisis as a primary threat to national security, with increased funding allocated for desalination projects and modernized irrigation systems.

www.wisenewspress.com