Criticism of government: protests in Iran over water shortage

Criticism of government: protests in Iran over water shortage

These are not the first major protests against the Iranian government this month: First there were power outages, now water shortages are the trigger. President Ruhani blames the US.

There have been protests in several cities in southwestern Iran over the continuous lack of water. The government therefore sent a delegation with representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Energy and Agriculture to Khusestan Province on Friday.

She should review the situation on site and work with the local authorities to resolve the problems immediately, said the chief of staff of the Presidential Office, Mahmud Waesi, of the state news agency IRNA.

The protests in Khusestan province are also said to have included political slogans against the Islamic system. There was also talk of clashes between demonstrators and police and security forces – as well as some arrests. This information has not yet been officially confirmed. However, the Iranian government is concerned that the protests could spread to other provinces in the country.

There have been water shortages and power outages across the country in recent weeks, but it was particularly bad in the province of Khusestan with temperatures of up to 50 degrees. The failures also hit regional agriculture. Iran is currently experiencing another severe drought wave. But the government is also criticized for failing to renew the infrastructure that has since become obsolete.

President Hassan Ruhani puts the blame on the US sanctions, which have plunged the oil-rich country into a severe economic crisis in recent years. According to Ruhani, these should not have left any room for new financing or the modernization of the infrastructure.

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