Iran running out of water. The government considers evacuating the capital

There are regions in Iran where not a single drop of rain has fallen since the end of September. In Tehran, the total rainfall during this period amounted to exactly 1 mm. The situation is unusual even for a country with a dry, continental climate. Restrictions on access to water have already appeared in the capital. Is the city at risk of evacuation?

Iran facing the worst drought in 60 years

This is already the sixth case of drought in Iran this year. Sadegh Zeyaeyan, director of IRIMO (the Iranian Meteorological Organization), reports that the amount of rain since the beginning of the meteorological year has decreased by 86 percent. The decline has been particularly noticeable in Tehran, where rainfall is down by 96 percent.

This is a phenomenon we have not encountered in a hundred years, Zeyaeyan emphasizes.

The situation in artificial reservoirs — the drinking water reservoirs for Iran’s residents — is also deteriorating. According to data from the Iranian Ministry of Energy, the amount of water flowing through dams has decreased by 40 percent since the beginning of the hydrological year. Measurements show only 1.48 billion m3, compared with 3 billion m3 last year. Journalists from Tehran Times report that the current total volume of water in retention reservoirs is 17.12 billion m3, which is only 33 percent of their capacity.

Since spring, the Iranian authorities have been urging citizens to reduce water consumption. In seven months, Tehran has managed to cut usage by 12 percent. It is not enough, warns Iranian environmental expert Azam Bahrami. Reducing consumption among the population does not bring us any closer to overcoming the crisis, she explains. One look at the structure of water use is enough to see that 80–90 percent is consumed by agriculture.

Iran's critical water shortage, exacerbated by decades of mismanagement and drought, threatens to make Tehran uninhabitable https://t.co/4fefXde4Gr pic.twitter.com/C3qwdgo3uh

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 12, 2025

What is the situation in Tehran now?

Zero rainfall since the end of September has been recorded in 15 of Iran’s 31 provinces. The most serious situation is in Tehran, home to 10 million people. The capital’s outdated infrastructure causes huge losses during water transmission. Nationwide, this amounts to as much as 16 million tons annually, claims Mohammad Javad Tourian from the University of Stuttgart.

Since last week, residents of the capital cannot use water during nighttime hours. Iran’s president, Masud Pezeshkian, commented on the crisis: If it does not start raining, in November we will have to begin rationing water. If the lack of rainfall continues longer, we will simply run out of water and will have to evacuate the city.

Direct information about the situation in Tehran comes from the independent Iranian outlet Iran International, operating in London. Residents of the capital write to the portal’s journalists, complaining about low water pressure in taps and regular shut-offs without prior warning.

Water is disappearing, and anxiety is rising

The few independent media operating in Iran have voiced accusations of ineffective government action. Journalists argue that those in power are taking ineffective initiatives, focusing on avoiding responsibility and limiting panic among citizens.

A similar tone was expressed in an interview with Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe by Kaveh Madani, president of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health: The level of government warnings is too low compared to the actual situation. The government is overly cautious because it does not want to deepen public stress and anxiety.

Meanwhile, water rationing in Tehran has already led to protests. Journalists from Iran International published a video showing a group of Al-Zahra University students expressing opposition to restrictions on water access. A further consequence may be mass migration — the government admits that so far 800,000 citizens have had to relocate due to the climate crisis.