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.

Jordanian King Abdullah meets in his palace with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (L), Amman, Jordan, Jan. 5 2022.

Gantz, King Abdullah discuss regional stability

Clearly it is no coincidence that Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz met in Amman with Jordanian King Abdullah one week only after hosting in his Rosh Ha’ayin home Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Syrian Kurds parade a doll, made of wood and colorful fabric, as they perform the "Bride of the Rain" ritual in the northeast city of Qamishli on Nov. 19, 2021.

Ancient Kurdish rain ritual revived in Syria as drought continues

Kurdish farmers in the countryside of Qamishli revive an ancient ritual called Ziwa, or the Bride of the Rain, to invoke rain after seasons of drought.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in front of a new canal.

Egypt revives Western Desert agricultural project

Egypt has breathed new life into an old agricultural project in its Western Desert, hoping it will increase food production and reduce imports.

Sudan's Al-Merrikh club fans hold up images of team players as they gather to watch their team play against Congo's AC Leopards during the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final soccer match at the Merreikh Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan, Nov. 10, 2012.

Soccer adds to Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia tensions

Soccer politics is at play as Sudan's Al-Merrikh Club insists to play its match against Egypt's Al-Ahly in CAF's Champions League in Ethiopia, giving rise to fears in Egypt from possible fan violence.

Egypt flood

New Egyptian engineering efforts protect South Sinai from floods

Egypt is working on establishing dams, artificial lakes and reservoirs to counter the torrential rains in South Sinai.

Erogan kenya

Egypt, Turkey compete for military foothold in Kenya

Egypt and Turkey are vying for presence in Kenya, with both countries seeking to consolidate their relations at all economic, technological and industrial levels with the African country.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (R) attends the 60th anniversary of the Independence Day ceremony at the National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec. 9, 2021.

Egypt builds industrial city in Tanzania

Egypt and Tanzania close ties are strengthened further by the inauguration of an Egyptian industrial city adjacent to the Tanzanian capital.

A bridge construction site on the Victoria Nile near the Murchison Falls, where the government has a plan to build a hydroelectric dam, at Murchison Falls National Park, northwest Uganda, Jan. 25, 2020.

Egypt inaugurates dams in Uganda

Seven dams and 27 underground wells were inaugurated by Egypt in Uganda alongside a large number of projects that serve to improve the quality of drinking water and provide water for agriculture.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Nov. 30, 2021.

The Takeaway: Israel’s military threats shadow Iran nuclear talks

Erdogan digs in on lira; Egypt, Ethiopia tensions rise again over Nile Dam; Assassins "carefully planned" attack on Iraqi PM; Iraqi Shiite scholars ponder post-Sistani era; Children become breadwinners in besieged Idlib; The return of Mohammed Ali Pasha’s palace … all in less than 1,200 words.

Iranians gather during a protest to voice their anger after their province's lifeblood river dried up due to drought and diversion, in the central city of Isfahan, on Nov. 19, 2021.

Iran's crackdown risks blinding protesters

Amid rising alarm about protesters held incommunicado, medics and activists fear injury and even permanent blindness from birdshot fired by security forces.

A worker goes down a construction ladder at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Guba in Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019.

New Egyptian-Ethiopian escalation over Nile dam

Ethiopia has announced that it will soon finish construction work on the GERD, while Egypt has warned of the consequences of not reaching an agreement in the latest escalation between the two countries.

Iranians gather during a protest to voice their anger after their province's lifeblood river dried up due to drought and diversion, in the central city of Esfahan, Iran, Nov. 19, 2021.

Iran riot police 'forcibly' sweep water protest site

During the pre-dawn raid in the city of Esfahan, baton-wielding security forces set protest tents on fire and pushed farmers out of the dried river basin, the site of more than two weeks of public demonstrations.