Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is reportedly not ruling out relocating the capital city of Tehran over the severe water shortage that has gripped the country, Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, citing Iranian media.
"The situation is serious, and Tehran truly has no water left," Pezeshkian said.
Iran hit by climate crisis
Iran declared a public holiday in Tehran Province last week due to the severe water shortage and energy crisis affecting the country.
Schools and governments are expected to be closed until at least Saturday as a way to reduce the country's energy and water usage.
At least 20 of Iran’s 31 provinces are now suffering a water crisis, and one of the country’s largest reservoirs is expected to dry up completely within a matter of weeks, according to Iranian state media site IRNA.
The water crisis follows a 2 degrees centigrade rise since the 1960s, according to UNICEF, and a 20% reduction in rainfall over the past 20 years.
Tehran's failures
Tehran's failure to tackle the climate crisis has caused significant blowback from the regime's critics and Israeli officials.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, in a social media post written in Persian, shared that Iranian "suffering" had directly resulted from the Islamic regime.
“Instead of addressing the needs of the Iranian people, they spend resources on terrorist branches in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza,” Cohen wrote. “Israel has managed to overcome water shortages, and thanks to our knowledge and innovation, we now have abundant water resources that we even export to our neighbors.”
“To the Iranian nation: The day this oppressive regime is overthrown, your lives will be much better, and you too will be able to benefit from Israel’s water technologies,” he concluded
Alex Winston contributed to this report.