Iran is facing a severe water crisis due to a drought entering its sixth year. Major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz are nearing “water day zero” — the point when water supply systems stop working. By early December, southern Tehran districts already had dry taps. Nightly water cuts are now common. Protests over lack of water and electricity called for “Water, electricity, life – our basic right.” The head of Tehran's regional water company said the city’s five main dams were only 11% full in early November. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned, “If it does not rain in Tehran by December, we should ration water; if it still does not rain, we must empty Tehran.” Tehran has 10 million residents and faces possible evacuation. Protests and government crackdowns followed, partly caused by this water crisis combined with inflation rising above 40% and economic troubles. Climate change is a key cause; Iran’s city temperatures rose twice as fast as the global average between 1990 and 2022. Decades of water mismanagement worsened the problem. Iran abandoned its ancient qanat aquifer tunnels, relying on dams built since 1962. These dams caused evaporation and trapped water upland, reducing flow. After the 1979 revolution, groundwater pumping intensified to boost self-sufficiency, causing underground water to dry up. Over a million groundwater pumps, mainly for agriculture, have severely depleted Iran’s water reserves. A cross-border dam by Afghanistan’s Taliban controls most of the Harirud River’s flow into Iran, threatening eastern cities like Mashhad. Armed clashes over another river, Helmand, happened in 2023, showing the regional strain over water. Iran’s government plans to cut costly subsidies on imports, risking higher prices amid soaring inflation (72% for food). Water shortages deepen hardship, making daily life very difficult. Climate change combined with sanctions and poor water management has created a dangerous crisis. Experts warn this is just the start; up to 75% of the world’s drought-prone areas could face “day zero” water crises by 2100, with a third hitting before 2030. Iran’s crisis shows how climate change threatens basic services and political stability worldwide.