Water Issues

Yemeni boys walk on a flooded road during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa on Aug. 1, 2025.

Yemen: Flash floods injure 10+ in Aden as climate toll mounts

Yemen has experienced deadly flooding in recent years, further impacting the ongoing displacement crisis in the country.

Egypt's prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly (L), welcomes his counterpart from Sudan, Kamil Idris, upon his arrival at the Cairo International Airport in Egypt's capital on Aug. 7, 2025.

Egypt ramps up East Africa diplomacy before Ethiopia dam launch: Will it matter?

Egypt has toughened its public messaging on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and sought to present a united front with Sudan against the project as Ethiopia prepares to officially inaugurate it in September.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

The Amir Kabir dam and its outflow along the Karaj River in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range are pictured on June 1, 2025.

Tehran’s dams at 19% as Iran water crisis worsens: What to know

The water levels in dams across Iran are falling amid hot temperatures, as the government pleads with the public to cut consumption.

Egypt's prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly (R), meets with his counterpart from Sudan, Kamil Idris, upon his arrival in Egypt's capital, Cairo, on Aug. 7, 2025.

Sudan PM visits Egypt as Khartoum claims downing UAE plane: What to know

Just a day before the visit, Sudan’s military said it shot down an Emirati plane carrying Colombian mercenaries for the RSF, prompting outrage from Colombia.

Latest News

Iran to close public offices as temperatures pass 105 F: What to know

An Iranian taxi driver cools down by splashing water on his face on a street amid soaring temperatures in Tehran on July 22, 2025.

Analysis

Iran nears 'day zero': Water crisis deepens amid drought, unrest and mismanagement

The low water inlet of the river upstream of the Amir Kabir dam along the Karaj river is pictured in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range on June 1, 2025. Tehran is facing a water shortage due to low rainfall last year and the beginning of summer. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

UAE launches 25-year climate plan for Abu Dhabi: What to know

flood UAE

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Broken dams, broken trust: How Iran’s water crisis and heatwave have sparked emergency

Photo depicts the low water level of Latyan Dam, which provides water to Tehran, located near Tehran, Iran, on May 8, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iraqi boy catches fish in the Tigris River in central Baghdad as the sun sets, on April 15, 2025.

Turkey gives drought-stricken Iraq more water in boost to PM Sudani

The agreement is expected to ease tensions and advance a joint infrastructure project linking Iraq’s Faw port to Turkey.

TOPSHOT - Vehicles jam a highway as a fire blazes nearby in the oil depots of Shahran, northwest of Tehran, on June 15, 2025. Israel and Iran exchanged fire on June 14, a day after Israel unleashed an unprecedented aerial bombing campaign that Iran said hit its nuclear facilities, "martyred" top commanders and killed dozens of civilians. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Exodus, shortages and strikes: Tehran reels under weight of Israel-Iran war

Israeli strikes on Tehran have continued, prompting evacuation warnings, creating fuel and internet disruptions, and adding to the growing number of residents who are fleeing the capital.

This general view shows the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 19, 2022.

Analysis

Against Ethiopia, Egypt courts East African states over Nile dam dispute

Tensions over a wide range of issues, including Ethiopia’s ambitions for Red Sea access, are likely to worsen the dispute with Egypt over Addis Ababa’s controversial dam on the Nile River.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received President of the Sovereign Council of the Republic of the Sudan General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan at Cairo International Airport.

Egypt's Sisi hosts Burhan, eyes reconstruction in Sudan: What to know

Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Sudanese army head Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met in Cairo for talks on the latest developments in Sudan as Cairo seeks lucrative reconstruction deals in the war-torn country.

A Taliban security personnel walks along the roadside during the inauguration ceremony of Bakhshabad Dam in Bala Buluk district of Farah province on May 20, 2023.

Analysis

How climate change, dams are fueling Iran-Afghanistan water disputes

The Pashdan Dam is the latest flashpoint in the long-standing water disputes between the two nations.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge crossing point to Jordan (background), Jericho, West Bank, Jan. 28, 2021.

Analysis

First in 30 years: How Allenby Bridge attack could upend Jordan-Israel ties

Despite the strained relationship between Jordan's King Abdullah and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, neither of the governments wishes to see the breakout of violence on the border or the Temple Mount.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A Somali National Army soldier stands at attention during the morning briefing for trainee officers at the General Dhagabadan Training Centre in Mogadishu on March 19, 2024.

Tensions surge in Horn of Africa as Ethiopia’s ambitions clash with Somalia, Egypt

Tensions in the Horn of Africa bubble following a weapons delivery from Egypt to Somalia on Tuesday and Ethiopia's accusing Somalia of colluding with foreign governments.

The Euphrates river near Dura Europos (Tell Salhiye), Syria. Iraq is just several miles downstream.

In managing water crisis, can Turkey and Iraq bridge gap without Syria?

Turkey and Iraq need to bring Syria into the fold to resettle the historical water sharing problems between the three countries, according to experts and officials.

A man walks past a stranded car on a flooded street in Dubai following heavy rains on April 18, 2024.

Dubai's record rainfall spotlights Gulf’s troubled relation with water

The Gulf’s longterm love–hate relationship with water lies behind a year and a half's worth of rain that fell on Dubai in 24 hours. It includes climate change-induced shifting rainfall patterns, groundwater extractions and unsustainable consumption.

United Arab Emirates

The Wadi Mujib river in Jordan.

Analysis

Why Israel is likely to accept Jordan’s request for more water

Experts estimate it is in Israel’s national interest to accept Jordan's request to extend the water supply agreement.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

An Iranian woman walks through a flooded road on Jan. 13, 2020.

Floods devastate Iran’s Baluchistan as losses exceed $40 million

Iran has been hit with severe flooding and significant drought in recent years, and the government has been accused of mismanaging the crises.

AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images

Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed downplays war risk with Somalia over Somaliland deal

Ethiopian premier has said his country has no intention of fighting with Somalia and that it's ready to negotiate with Egypt and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance (GERD) standoff.