Water Issues

currency exchange in Tehran

Iran currency dips to new low of 1.2M per dollar as sanctions bite: What to know

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, the rial has plummeted.

sign

Turkey, Iraq sign oil-for-water deal: What to know

The landmark deal between Ankara and Baghdad sets out a finance mechanism to direct Iraqi oil proceeds into Turkish-built water infrastructure.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani review honor guards during the latter's official visit to Ankara, May 8, 2025.

Analysis

Water for influence: Turkey moves to ease Iraq's water shortages ahead of elections

Turkey took the step in a bid to ensure that relations with Iraq's current and future leaderships remain manageable after the vote.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A general view shows the Samra Waste Water Treatment Plant, Zarqa, Jordan, March 13, 2018.

Analysis

Jordan’s water security caught between $5B megaproject, frayed Israel ties

Amman's efforts to tackle acute water challenges have delivered breakthroughs in 2025, while progress toward the end of the Gaza war could see revived interest in Israel-Jordan water ties.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Drought-stricken Iraq sends delegation to Turkey to discuss water cooperation

SABUR RASHID/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

RSF hits Darfur hospital as cholera, dengue fever spread in war-torn Sudan

A nurse treats a Dengue fever patient at a hospital in Omdurman, west of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Sept. 24, 2025.

Egypt steps up alarm on Ethiopia megadam as Sudan battles floods: What to know

A resident stands by belongings to salvage in a pool of water due to the flooding of the Nile river in the Sudanese village of Wad Ramli north of Khartoum on Oct. 1, 2025.

Wildfires ravage Syria’s Latakia for 4th day in row: What to know

Residents of the village of Shatha watch as a wildfire rages on the nearby hills, in the western Hama countryside in west-central Syria on Aug. 15, 2025.

Egypt Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry attends the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

Ethiopia’s accusations against Egypt, Sudan dispel hopes for Renaissance Dam crisis

Egypt considers recent statements made by Ethiopian officials a setback for Nile Dam talks.

Yemenis displaced by conflict receive provisions to meet basic needs at a camp in Khokha district on Jan. 31, 2022.

The Takeaway: Yemen’s future may be affected by Iran talks

Iran and Israel; Iran and China; Iran and Turkey; Hamas alternative to "Fauda"; and more … all in less than 1,400 words.

Solar panels are pictured during the inauguration of the Soroti power plant in Soroti district, about 186 miles northeast of the capital, Kampala, Uganda, Dec. 12, 2016.

Egypt hands over solar power plant to Uganda amid Nile dam crisis

The Egyptian government’s efforts to support its African neighbors have been ongoing as part of the promotion of relations with African countries, amid the ongoing crisis with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Cairo Tower is see along the skyline of the Nile River island of Manial al-Roda (L) in Egypt's capital Cairo and its twin city of Giza (R), with the background showing (L to R): the step pyramid of Djoser, and the Bent and Red pyramids of Sneferu, Egypt.

Egypt pushes to revive stalled negotiations over Nile dam

Egypt is calling for the swift resumption of negotiations over the controversial Ethiopian dam, as the new US envoy to the Horn of Africa lands in Cairo for the first time since his appointment.

A Sudanese woman takes part in a protest in the city of Khartoum Bahri to demand the government's transition to civilian rule, on Oct. 21, 2021.

Egypt-Sudan road closure impacts flow of goods

The resistance committees in Sudan’s Northern State are keeping the road connecting Sudan to Egypt closed, which raised questions on the decision’s impact on the Egyptian economy and whether there are political motives behind the escalation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) and Saudi Arabia's Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Riyadh governor (L) in Riyadh, Feb. 12, 2007.

Saudi business group touts plan to improve economic ties with Russia

Russia is working to improve relations with Saudi Arabia and wants the kingdom to buy its S-400 missile defense system.

A supporter of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed holds a sign referring to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as a crowd waits to enter the stadium in Jimma, June 16, 2021.

Egypt skeptical of Ethiopia call for cooperation on Nile dam

Egypt sees Ethiopia’s latest call for cooperation over its controversial Nile dam as mere ink on paper, as Cairo continues to insist on resuming the negotiations to reach a legally binding agreement.

A picture taken Oct. 26, 2021, shows the Darbandikhan Dam after the water level had fallen by 7.5 meters in one year, in northeastern Iraq.

Iran, Iraq exchange accusations over water flow

Iraq is planning to complain to the International Court of Justice about the drop in water flow from Iran.

Egyptian women line up at a water cistern (unseen) to fill their containers with clean water at al-Rahawe village, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Cairo, Egypt, May 27, 2010.

Egypt officially enters state of water poverty

Egypt announced that it has entered the stage of water poverty, while talks on Ethiopia’s Nile dam continue to stall.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi waves as he arrives at the Sarova Whitesands Hotel for a bilateral meeting with Kenyan officials led by his Kenyan counterpart, Raychelle Omamo, Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 6, 2022.

China appoints envoy for Horn of Africa

China’s announcement of an envoy to the troubled Horn of Africa raised questions about the effectiveness of the Chinese role in resolving regional conflicts, especially the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis, which is still a subject of tension and disagreement between Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa.

This photo shows a general view of the High Dam in Aswan, Egypt, Jan. 3, 2021.

Egypt looks to groundwater collection as talks deadlock on Ethiopia dam

The Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation is working to collect the largest possible amount of groundwater through "auto-control" devices, which have been supplied to more than 15 groundwater wells.

Workers perform measurements at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Guba in Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019.

Ethiopia to generate electricity from GERD amid negotiations deadlock

Ethiopia will produce energy from the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in a move likely to heighten existing tensions with Egypt and Sudan.