Iran warns of potential Tehran evacuation as worst drought in decades hits

Iran is facing its worst drought in years, raising fears of evacuations from Tehran and threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.

Kaveh CivilIran’s worsening “water bankruptcy” will affect the country’s ability to function and weaken its position on the global stage, said the director of the United Nations University Institute on Water, Environment and Health.

“This water bankruptcy weakens Iran on the world stage,” Madani told Fox News Digital.

“If they want to stick to their ideology and fight the West, they must exploit and burn their natural resources, so if there is no water, there is less endurance and capacity to resist.”

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Madani, who has long warned about environmental mismanagement in Iran, said the current water crisis across the country was predictable.

“The water bankruptcy situation was not created overnight,” he said. “The house was already on fire, and people like me had been warning the government for years that this situation was going to happen.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran could face a partial evacuation if there is no rain before winter, according to the Associated Press.

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Pezeshkian accused the United States of “grave treason” at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2025. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

One of the five major dams feeding the capital has already dried up, and the other is operating at less than 8 percent capacity. access point.

Energy Minister Abbas Alibadi also announced that water supplies would be cut off on some evenings to refill reservoirs and called on citizens to reduce consumption by 20% to avoid rationing.

“The symptoms were already present and the flames are now undeniable. We are discussing Day Zero, when taps in Tehran and other cities once became immune to famine,” Madani said. he said.

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People pass a large banner with portraits of slain leaders of Iran-aligned armed groups, including Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, in central Tehran on May 1, 2025. (MOHAMMADALI NAJIB/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“Iran is in a state of water bankruptcy, the result of decades of mismanagement, exacerbated by prolonged drought and climate change,” he added.

Madani also said the collapse of basic infrastructure could lead to greater unrest.

“When people are cut off from water and electricity, you run into internal and national security issues that Iran’s enemies, not even President Trump or Prime Minister Netanyahu, would want.”

Madani warned that the crisis threatens not only its own citizens but also Iran’s energy and nuclear infrastructure.

Despite US claims that airstrikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities, new intelligence New York Times He suggested ongoing enrichment in a fortified area known as Kazma Mountain.

“If water and power outages continue, any nuclear program will also be affected,” Medini said. he said.

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“Lack of rain means less hydropower generation, leading to both water and power outages,” he said.

The United States and its allies have reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s oil exports and banking sector, and the end of the 2015 nuclear deal also triggered penalties.

“They also face the problem of enforcement,” Madani said. “There were already sanctions imposed by the United States and, as you know, Security Council sanctions that were reimposed.”

“Iran is in resistance mode, and staying in this mode means increasing pressure on Iran’s ecosystem, natural resources and water, but it also means increasing concerns about food insecurity issues and dependence on food imports.”

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However, Madani said Tehran’s evacuation was unlikely. “People have jobs, kids are in school, so this can’t happen overnight. The government is hoping for rain, but people are already scared.”

“Iran is in resistance mode, and remaining in this mode means increasing pressure on Iran’s ecosystem, natural resources and water,” Madani said.