Iran is facing an unprecedented drought due to a water crisis.

Iran, especially the capital Tehran, is facing an unprecedented drought this fall. Precipitation is at a record low and reservoirs are almost empty. Authorities are imploring citizens to conserve water as the crisis deepens.

President Massoud Fezeshkian warned that Tehran’s water supplies could be limited if there is not enough rainfall soon. But he said rationing alone could not prevent disaster.

“If rationing doesn’t work, we may have to evacuate Tehran,” Fezeshkian said.

His comments drew criticism in Iranian newspapers and on social media. Former Tehran mayor Gholamhossein Karbasky called the idea a “joke” and said “evacuating Tehran makes absolutely no sense.”

Iran’s Meteorological Agency said there would be no rain for the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, the water crisis is already affecting daily life in the capital.

“We are planning to buy water tanks to use for toilets and other necessities,” a woman in Tehran told BBC Persia.

Last summer, Iranian rapper Vafa Ahmadpoor ​​posted a video on social media showing his kitchen tap not running.

“It’s been about 4 to 5 hours,” he said. “I bought bottled water to go to the bathroom.”

The manager of the Ratian Dam, one of Tehran’s main water sources, said it was currently at less than 10% of its capacity. The nearby Karaj Dam, which supplies water to both Tehran and Alborz provinces, is similarly in critical condition.

“I have never seen this dam so empty since I was born,” an elderly local resident told Iranian state television.

According to Karaj Dam manager Mohammad-Ali Moallem, rainfall has decreased dramatically.

“Compared to last year, rainfall has decreased by 92%,” he said. “We only have 8% water in our reservoirs. Most of it is unusable and is considered ‘dead water.’”

The government is now hoping for rain in late fall, but the outlook is bleak. Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi warned that the situation could soon force authorities to cut off water supplies.

“Some nights we may reduce the water flow to zero,” he said.

Authorities also announced plans to impose penalties on households and businesses that consume excessive amounts of water.

Iranian Energy Minister Ali Abadi said Tehran’s water crisis was not just due to lack of rainfall. He blamed leaks from the capital’s century-old water infrastructure and even pointed to the recent 12-day war with Israel.

During the conflict, Israel targeted the Tajirish area, north of Tehran, on June 15. Video footage later showed severe flooding in the area.

The day after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted an Iranian military “command post.”

But the crisis extended far beyond the capital.

Ahmad Vazifeh, head of Iran’s National Center for Climate and Drought Risk Management, warned that apart from Tehran, dams in many other regions, including West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Markazi, were also in a “worrying state” with water levels in the single digits.

Officials are also sounding the alarm in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.

Khorasan Razavi, the governor of northeastern Iran, said water reserves in the Mashhad Dam had fallen to “less than 8%” and warned the region was facing a “massive drought.”

The CEO of Mashhad’s Water and Wastewater Company put the figure even lower.

“Storage levels in the city’s main dams are less than 3%,” said Hossein Esmaeilian.

“Only 3% of the total capacity of Mashhad’s four water supply dams – Torogh, Kardeh, Doosti and Ardak – remains. Excluding the Doosti dam, the remaining three are out of service.”

Iran’s water crisis has persisted for decades.

Even Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly acknowledged the looming threat, mentioning water shortages in his 2011 Nowruz speech and several times in the years since.

But little has changed.

Today, Tehran, Karaj and Mashhad, with a combined population of more than 16 million, face the possibility of running out of water.