… Iran’s escalating water and environmental problems are the predictable outcome of decades of treating the region’s finite water resources as if they were limitless. … Iran has relied heavily on water-intensive irrigation to grow food in dry landscapes and subsidized water and energy use, resulting in overpumping from aquifers and falling groundwater supplies. … The country needs to start to decouple its economy from water consumption by investing in sectors that generate value and employment opportunities with minimal water use. Agricultural water consumption can be reduced by producing higher-value, less water-intensive crops, taking into account food security, labor market and cultural considerations. 

Other Iran water crisis news:

• The Washington Post: Opinion: Why Iran is running out of water
• Algemeiner Journal (New York): Iran’s water crisis deepens as experts say extreme drought is worst in at least 40 years