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.

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is pictured during his first press conference since his election on the weekend in Tehran, on June 21, 2021.

The Takeaway: Does Raisi sink prospects for Iran nuclear deal?

Maybe not, but diplomacy just got harder; also, Egypt pushes plans to address climate and water crises; Sudan calls out Ethiopia on recent floods; Russia says it is helping save Syria’s heritage; Turkish cleric takes issue with dress code for Olympic women; remembering Beirut’s port explosion; more!

Lochaun John, who suffers from severe undernourishment, crawls into his hut in Lokupoi village, Moroto, Uganda, on March 28, 2008.

Egypt touts climate, flood control initiatives in Africa outreach

Climate change and flood forecasts pave the way for Egypt's foreign policy on the continent.

A general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egypt announces four-point plan to mitigate possible water crisis

The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced a four-point plan to cope with its water crisis, as talks on Ethiopia’s Nile dam continue to stall.

This picture shows a general view of flooded parts of the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, taken Sept. 14, 2020.

Floods cause heavy losses in Sudan amid Nile dam crisis

Floods hit multiple Sudanese cities and neighborhoods, after Addis Ababa completed the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s reservoir.

Egypt's President and current Chairperson of the African Union, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L), takes part in a joint press conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall at the Presidential Palace in Dakar for an official visit on April 12, 2019.

Egypt seeks rapprochement with Senegal in Nile dam crisis ahead of its AU presidency

Egypt looks to strengthen its relations with Senegal and win it over in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations, to be held under the auspices of the African Union, which is to be headed by Senegal next year.

A police officer patrols in front of banners put up by members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

US condemns violence against protesters in Iran

The US condemnation comes as rights groups accuse Iranian authorities of a violent crackdown on protests that erupted earlier this month over severe water shortages in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

A woman looks on at the waste dump of Diwaniyah where families live in the rubbish with no electricity or drinking water, on March 25, 2018.

Iraqi Kurdistan water crisis blamed on climate and Iran

Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government has asked citizens to ration water.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrive to make a press statement following the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit at the Sirius Park of Science and Art, Sochi, Russia, Oct. 24, 2019.

Egypt postpones nuclear power plant amid tensions with Russia over Nile dam

Egypt pauses El-Dabaa nuclear power plant project for two years amid tensions hanging over the relationship with Russia due to its recent position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis and its rapprochement with Ethiopia.

Lebanon water containers for sale

UN: public water in Lebanon could stop pumping in matter of 'weeks'

Lebanon's water sector is on the verge of collapse due to the harrowing economic crisis, the United Nations has warned.

Muweis canal of Nile River in northern Egypt

How water has become a flashpoint in the Middle East

Al-Monitor reporting shows the increased risks and relevance of water security for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia; Iran and Iraq; and Israel and Jordan.

View of the construction site of a dam at the Entoto Park, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept. 22, 2020.

Egypt weighs next steps after Ethiopia completes second filling of Nile Dam

Ethiopia announced the completion of the second filling phase of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

An Iranian woman surfs the internet at a cybercafe in central Tehran on Jan. 24, 2011.

Watchdog: Internet disrupted in Iran amid water protests

The internet is heavily restricted in Iran, and the government initiated an internet blackout in 2019 during widespread protests in the country.