Water Warning: Iran signals new cuts to Iraq

Shafaq News/ Iran signaled a fresh push to limit water flowing into Iraq, with a senior official on Sunday calling for control over cross-border rivers to meet local demand.

“Most of the surface water in Iran flows toward Iraq. We must seek to control some of it and stop the outflow,” Yasem Khanmohammadian, head of natural resources in Iran’s western Ilam Province, told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Iraq has been grappling with declining water levels for years due to Iranian and Turkish river diversion projects. Iran’s reduction of flows through shared rivers—such as the Alwand in Diyala, the Karun in Basra, and the Little Zab in Sulaymaniyah—has further strained supplies, as Tehran redirects water for domestic use.

The Iraqi government has repeatedly called for fair distribution under international agreements to alleviate the pressure on its water resources.