Netanyahu's response to protests in Khorramshahr and elsewhere: Iran's economy is collapsing

Following the protests of the people of Khorramshahr in recent days over the water problem, as well as the economic chaos and water shortage problems in various regions of Iran, the Israeli Prime Minister responded to these protests.

On Sunday, July 1, in a speech at the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu described the protests and demonstrations in Iran as a reaction to Iran's collapsing economy.

He said: “The Iranian regime is feeling the impact of the impending economic sanctions. The Iranian economy is collapsing. The data has to be seen to be believed. Iran is spending billions of dollars financing terrorism around the world, and its aggressive policies in the region. Instead of investing in its own people, and Iranians are rightly protesting.”

In recent days, protest rallies have been held in Tehran's bazaar and several other cities in Iran to protest the sharp rise in the exchange rate, inflation, and economic recession.

The protesters chanted: "Leave Syria alone, think about us." Some protesters also chanted against the Islamic Republic's policies towards Palestine.

On Friday and Saturday, the people of Khorramshahr gathered and chanted slogans to protest the water shortage and salinity of drinking water.

A gathering of Khorramshahri citizens turned violent on Saturday night, and videos of tear gas and police shooting were posted on social media.

A day after protests in Khorramshahr over the water problem in the city and officers shooting at protesters, local officials in Khuzestan announced that the salinity of the water had been removed and its quality had improved.

According to Iranian domestic news agencies, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, announced on Sunday, July 3, that the water transmission pipe to Khorramshahr, which had burst, has been repaired and with the resumption of the pipe's operation, the city's water quality has improved.

The governor of Khorramshahr also stated that the salinity of Khorramshahr's water has reached 3,000 micromolar, saying that the water condition is completely favorable.

According to local officials in Khuzestan, with the opening of the second phase of the Ghadir water transfer line to Khorramshahr and Abadan in the coming days, the water problem of these two cities will be completely resolved. This is while some domestic Iranian journalists have written that this project began in 2008 and was supposed to be completed in two to three years, but it has not yet been completed. According to the Minister of Interior, the contractor for this project is the IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters.

Water crisis in different regions of Iran

A day after protests over the water problem in Khorramshahr, reports indicate that various regions of Iran are facing a crisis of water cuts or poor-quality water distribution.

IRNA news agency quoted the CEO of Yazd Water and Wastewater Company as saying that the salinity of the water in this city has doubled or tripled in recent days.

The director of the water quality control office of the Yazd Provincial Water and Wastewater Company also said that in some areas of Yazd, drinking water has become extremely salty.

Ali Sari, a member of the Khuzestan Provincial Assembly of Representatives, also said that although Abadan and Khorramshahr have the most severe water situation, the cities of Ahvaz, Karun, Bawiyeh, Hamidieh, and Susangerd are also facing water problems.

He said: "In Ahvaz, there are public gatherings regarding the shortage of drinking water, but these gatherings are not like those in Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Shadegan."

In another report, the Ramhormoz city prosecutor announced that 230 people in three villages in the city were poisoned after drinking contaminated water. He said that a case has been filed in this regard.

Previously, various reports had been published about the distribution of drinking water by tanker in various regions of Sistan and Baluchestan and Hormozgan.

The water crisis in Iran has intensified following severe droughts in recent years, excessive use of groundwater resources, and mismanagement of water resources.

The escalating crisis comes at a time when some experts believe that there is a solution to the water shortage in Iran and that action should be taken as soon as possible to achieve it.

However, at the height of environmental problems and the water shortage crisis, Kaveh Madani, a water resources expert and professor at Imperial College London, who had returned to Iran at the invitation of the government and was working as the deputy director of research at the Environmental Protection Agency, was forced to leave the country last March due to pressure from security institutions.

Source: Voice of America