The dry basin of the Zayandeh-Rood river in central Iran. Photo by Mostafameraji. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

By Mohsen Jafari

As Iran faces one of the most complex environmental crises in West Asia, growing evidence suggests that its water shortage is not merely the result of drought or governmental mismanagement. At the heart of this unfolding catastrophe lies a more concealed factor: the direct involvement of military and security institutions, particularly in the widespread unauthorized drilling of groundwater wells.

Contrary to the public narrative, which often blames excessive water consumption on large industries, intensive farming, or climate change, official and academic reports reveal that a significant portion of illegal groundwater extraction is carried out by entities enjoying legal and regulatory immunity, most notably the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated companies.

The silence of oversight bodies toward these systemic violations has not only legitimized the behavior but has also exacerbated environmental collapse, led to widespread water resource depletion, and triggered ecological displacement across critical regions of the country.

Scope of the crisis: From sinkholes to collapsing aquifers

Iran is among the countries with the highest rates of unsustainable groundwater extraction. According to Iran’s Geological Survey (2023), over 400 plains across the country are in a “critical” or “prohibited” state due to water stress.

Already in 2017, officials spoke about approximately 220,000 unauthorized wells nationwide. Several environmental activists interviewed claim that a significant percentage of these wells are drilled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), although this figure has not been independently verified by reliable sources. These wells are often dug without permits or environmental assessments, contributing significantly to groundwater depletion.

In provinces such as Isfahan, Yazd, Qom, and Semnan, dozens of villages have been abandoned because of drastic drops in groundwater levels.

Over the past decade, Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the IRGC’s economic arm, has become the largest contractor for dam building, water transfer, and industrial agriculture projects in Iran.

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When guns drain aquifers: The hidden architecture of impunity

In an interview with the author, Nikahang Kowsar, a prominent Iranian journalist and environmental expert, offers a stark assessment: “The Islamic Republic has done it all itself. It’s as if the country’s managers have been following a manual for ecological suicide.”

Kowsar points to decades of unchecked dam construction, unregulated groundwater extraction, and the transformation of rangelands into water-intensive farmlands as deliberate actions, not mere incompetence. According to him, these decisions “were often made with full awareness and in the interest of powerful groups.”

Among the most blatant signs of this environmental mismanagement is the alleged illegal drilling of wells by certain military or affiliated institutions. Kowsar describes this not just as a “violation of the law,” but as a “hidden theft from the people’s aquifers,” even “a silent war against rural communities.”

“Each unauthorized well,” he argues, “is like a needle piercing the body of an already weakened ecosystem, draining the last remaining lifelines of farmers and villages.”

In a sharp critique, Kowsar also targets Iran’s regulatory bodies, including the Ministry of Energy and the Department of Environment: “This widespread and dangerous silence is not born of helplessness,” he insists, “but of entrenched corruption and fear. Many of those who should speak for nature are either complicit in profiteering or so politically compromised that they lack the courage to speak out.”

Kowsar stresses that the crisis is not just technical or climatic; it stems from the absence of a national, civilian approach to resource management. He identifies the lack of environmental education, misguided development policies, and the erosion of public accountability as key drivers of Iran’s environmental downfall. “If someone asks why Iran ran out of water,” he says, “the answer in one sentence is this: because reason, science, and integrity have no place in the country’s decision-making system.”

Ultimately, Kowsar warns that this path leads not only to ecological collapse, but to a national security threat: “When villages are abandoned, when the soil cracks open, when climate-driven migration begins, you no longer need a foreign enemy. This is collapse from within.”

Water crisis as a political symptom

Iran’s worsening water crisis is more than an environmental dilemma; it is a structural symptom of a deeply unequal and militarized system. While international observers often point to climate crises, intensive farming or impactful human activities, the root causes lie in domestic power dynamics where laws are bent to serve military priorities. If this trajectory continues, Iran may face not only ecological collapse but also a profound legitimacy crisis where citizens lose faith in both sustainability and justice.