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Iran Update, August 6, 2025

Iran continues to contend with a severe water and energy crisis. Iran’s Water Resources Management Company reported on August 3 that Iran’s total water reserves have decreased by 26 percent in the last year.[44] The CEO of the Tehran Provincial Water and Wastewater Company said on August 4 that the dams that supply water to Tehran Province are only 12 percent full and urged Iranians to decrease their water consumption.[45] An official from Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization told reporters on August 5 that Lake Urmia’s water volume decreased from two billion cubic meters in August 2024 to half a billion cubic meters in August 2025, which marks Lake Urmia’s lowest ever recorded water volume.[46] Lake Urmia, which is in northwestern Iran, was once the largest lake in the Middle East before it started to dry up.[47] The CEO of Iran’s Electricity Network Management Company separately announced on August 4 that Iranians’ electricity consumption has surpassed 77,000 megawatts.[48] Iran has a maximum production capacity of 62,000 megawatts.[49] The Iranian Energy Ministry has implemented daily electricity blackouts in cities across Iran for four hours to reduce energy consumption.[50] Iran closed public offices, government buildings, and banks in over 20 provinces on August 6 to reduce water and energy consumption amid a severe heatwave.[51]

It is unlikely that the regime will be able to improve the water and energy shortages without meaningfully addressing underlying issues that exacerbate these shortages, such as poor infrastructure and mismanagement. A Tehran City Council member stated on August 5 that nearly 30 percent of Tehran’s water is wasted due to outdated infrastructure.[52] Iranian state media reported on August 5 that agriculture wastes 24 billion cubic meters of water per year.[53] State media reported on August 4 that Iranian parliamentarians submitted a motion to impeach Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi for mismanaging water resources and failing to address structural corruption within the Energy Ministry.[54]

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-august-6-2025