Turkey, Iraq sign oil-for-water deal: What to know The landmark deal between Ankara and Baghdad sets out a finance mechanism to direct Iraqi oil proceeds into Turkish-built water infrastructure. Turkey
Analysis Water for influence: Turkey moves to ease Iraq's water shortages ahead of elections Turkey took the step in a bid to ensure that relations with Iraq's current and future leaderships remain manageable after the vote. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Jordan’s water security caught between $5B megaproject, frayed Israel ties Amman's efforts to tackle acute water challenges have delivered breakthroughs in 2025, while progress toward the end of the Gaza war could see revived interest in Israel-Jordan water ties. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Drought-stricken Iraq sends delegation to Turkey to discuss water cooperation Turkey recently agreed to release more water to Iraq amid the drought in the country, indicating improving coordination on resource management after years of tensions over Turkish dams. Iraq
Egypt joins with EU to protect water security Egypt is tackling its water crisis in cooperation with the European Union, which has pledged to finance irrigation-development projects and improve the country's water management system. Egypt
Kurdish farmers hit by water crisis With neighboring Iran diverting rivers and building dams, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is in the midst of an already severe water crisis that threatens to get even worse, thanks to national and regional governments failing to acknowledge the urgency of the problem. Iraq
Pro-government media deny Rouhani 'sold out' Iranian Caspian Sea claims Iranian social media has been inundated with claims that the government has given away much of the nation's share of the Caspian Sea, while pro-Rouhani newspapers reject such talk as baseless. Russia
Iraq's Basra plans dam on vital river After angry demonstrations against the government in Basra about the lack of potable water, the southern Iraqi province is preparing to tackle the problem by building a dam on the Shatt al-Arab River. Iraq
Iranians flock to greener pastures on Caspian coast The nationwide drought in Iran is triggering internal migration and its water-rich areas are already suffering shortages. Iran
Drought, inefficiency lead to major power shortage in Iran Blackouts return to Iran’s electricity grid in the face of prolonged drought and record power consumption. Iran
Drought forces Iraq to abandon cultivation of crops Due to the acute shortage of irrigation water, Iraq is reducing the cultivation of large areas of land and preventing the cultivation of strategic crops that are a source of livelihood for farmers, such as rice and corn. Iraq
Turkey, Iraq trade blame as concern rises over low water Iraq points to Turkey's Ilisu Dam as the cause of its water crisis, but Ankara says Baghdad needs to manage its resources more efficiently. Iraq
Turkey delays dam plans, granting Iraq brief reprieve Ankara puts off filling its Ilisu Dam for the second time to temporarily ease Iraqis' fear that their water shortage will worsen. Iraq
Iraq's favorite lake dries up in sign of worse to come Iraq's once-impressive Lake Milh used to be a major touristic site near Karbala, but now its vanishing water is part of a growing regional crisis. Iraq
Egypt, Ethiopia fail to reach breakthrough in dam negotiations While the recent round of negotiations on Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam ended with a new document aimed at entrenching cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, it did not resolve the differences over the water filling and dam operation process. Yemen
Egyptian government floats new solution to traffic In a bid to reduce traffic congestion, the Egyptian government is working to exploit the Nile River in the transport of goods and individuals. Egypt
