The Effects of Iraq's Inadequate Water Resources Management on the Emergence of Hydro-Political Challenges with Iran

Ghasemifar, Ezatollah; Kamran Dastjerdi, Hassan; Zaki, Yashar

doi:10.22034/csiw.2026.736853

The Effects of Iraq's Inadequate Water Resources Management on the Emergence of Hydro-Political Challenges with Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Ezatollah Ghasemifar ¹

Hassan Kamran Dastjerdi ²

Yashar Zaki ³

¹ PhD Candidate of Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Professor, Department of Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Associate Professor, Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran

10.22034/csiw.2026.736853

Abstract

Iraq has many challenges from the perspective of hydropolitics and water resources management. The main question of the research is how the mismanagement of water resources in Iraq has caused hydropolitical challenges with Iran? The hypothesis is that Iraq's inefficient and unprincipled policies in the field of water resources have led to the formation of hydropolitical challenges with Iran. The present study is in terms of purpose and quality in terms of applied research and problem solving and has been compiled in a general form in a descriptive-analytical manner. In the findings of the research, the most important factors affecting the hydropolitical relations between Iran and Iraq were investigated and the results indicate that inappropriate recognition and lack of proper use of water resources, weakness of water infrastructure, and lack of effective diplomacy in the field of improving the situation of water resources in Iraq, which has been created in the shadow of inappropriate management of water resources, while creating hydropolitical challenges in Iraq, also affect Iran's hydropolitics.This has caused hydropolitical challenges between Iran and Iraq, so with the passage of time, if no action is taken to solve the problem, hydropolitical tensions between the two countries will expand.

Keywords

Hydropolitics

Iran

Iraq

Tigris and Euphrates Basin

Water Resources Management