Iran seems like a prime candidate for water conflict. Iran shares water with all fifteen countries it borders, and it lies in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, a region known for intense drought and water conflict between nations. Almost 90% of Iran’s total area has been experiencing long-term drought and 85% of the Iranian population sees the effects of water scarcity.
Yet, Iran rarely faces water conflict. In fact, in recent history Iran has only experienced one water related conflict: the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) when Iraq used allegations of an unfair water agreement to start the war. So how has Iran managed to avoid conflict despite so many risk factors?
The reason: Iran actively and successfully engages in water diplomacy to prevent conflict according, as a new study published in World Affairs reveals.
Map of Iran’s main water ways based on a Fanack Water map
Considering Iran’s blatant disregard for women’s rights and human rights, Iranian politics must be scrutinized. A recent article emphasizes the different dimensions of Iranian politics, which offers a positive lesson in water diplomacy. Iran must treat its citizens with the same respect and consideration that it does its neighbors.
Water diplomacy fosters cooperation between water-sharing countries. Water diplomacy can focus on working together to tackle water-related issues including water management, irrigation, water conservation, and wastewater treatment. In their 2022 article, Yeganeh and Bakhshandeh discuss how Iran approaches water diplomacy with their neighbors through treaties and negotiations.
Water diplomacy is not new for Iran. Hundreds of years ago, farmers agreed to use aqueducts to divide and distribute water. The aqueducts were developed around 1,000 BCE to oversee water use. Despite being an effective way to divide and save water, Iranian aqueducts were not able to withstand the impacts of climate change and have largely dried up.
So overtime Iran has grown beyond older diplomatic models of water sharing, where Iran was a Riparian State, where water belongs to the state whose land borders it. The Riparian State can use the water as it sees fit so long as the uses do not interfere with others’ uses. This one-dimensional model fails to account for water’s constant movement and the challenges of sharing water effectively.
Yeganeh and Bakhshandeh explain three strategies underpin the success of Iran’s water diplomacy down to three principles:
- Goodwill and cooperation
- Avoiding harm or non-significant harm
- Information and data sharing.
Goodwill and cooperation require that countries act with best interests in mind. This principle provides a basis of trust in negotiations. This principle embodies hydrosolidarity, the idea that countries should manage water resources through participation and coordination between stakeholders, while considering ethics and equity. The Friendship Dam between Iran and Turkmenistan is a manifestation of such goodwill in these negotiations.
Avoiding harm or non-significant harm has forced Iran and agreeing countries to focus on the environment ahead of agreements and the 50-50 principle. The 50-50 agreement principle splits water usage down the middle and requires countries to prioritize water distribution to protect local ecosystems, whether the needs are baseline higher dependencies on water or climate change impacts. This environmental focus enables leaders to look beyond the narrow-minded allocation systems. Pakistan and Iran agreed in 1960 to protect the environment by polluting their shared rivers.
Similar to relying on goodwill and cooperation, information sharing allows all countries to negotiate with full understanding of the water system workings. It also contributes to long-term collaboration to produce shared data. Iran and Iraq demonstrate this principle through their commitment to the Common Bureau of Coordination to exchange transboundary water data and information.
Following the Iran-Iraq War and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iran and Iraq needed to find a new way to share water. Previously, each country viewed itself as the sole riparian owner of the water. Iraq never recognized Iran’s sovereignty over a river, which helped precipitate the war. In total, Iran and Iraq share 21 rivers, making them very closely linked. During diplomatic discussions, Iran and Iraq agreed to have a 50-50 share formula. In order to practice active diplomacy, Iran and Iraq did not let talks and cooperation stop. Since these discussions began in the 1990s, they have continued to meet and work together and avoid further conflict.
The principle of water diplomacy suggests that Iran sees water as a matter of national security. This approach to hydrosolidarity has promoted good relations with neighboring countries and contributed to better cooperation in other relevant diplomatic areas such as trade and culture.
Diplomacy has a reputation for being a passive form of conflict management because it lacks the confrontation society has deemed strong, but Iran has proven that diplomacy can be effective and a possible tool for other countries.
Iran’s approach to water diplomacy offers a model for the 144 countries that have transboundary waters. This is an approach that can promote hydrosolidarity globally at a time when water is becoming more unpredictable.