Iran is facing an intense water crisis, but help could soon come from an unlikely source - provided the "tyrants" are out of power.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message to the people of Iran just days after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against excessive water usage, saying the country is on the brink of severe shortages.
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Iran has faced electricity, gas and water shortages during peak-demand months due to mismanagement and overconsumption, according to Reuters. The outlet, citing the semi-official Tasnim news agency, reported that severe shortages could hit the country as soon as next month.
"The thirst for water in Iran is only matched by the thirst for freedom," Netanyahu said in a video addressing the people of Iran.
Netanyahu compared the regime's treatment of its citizens to Israel's struggle against it, saying, "Your dictators impose tyranny and poverty upon you - just as they impose war on us."
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While he stopped short of explicitly calling for revolution or regime change, the Israeli leader dangled a clear incentive for Iranians to rise up: remove the regime, and Israel will help end the country's water crisis.
"So here is the great news: The moment your country is free, Israel's top water experts will flood into every Iranian city bringing cutting-edge technology and know-how. We will help Iran recycle water; we'll help Iran desalinate water."
Iran expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk Lisa Daftari said Netanyahu's message was "a clear policy signal wrapped in humanitarian aid."
"He told them that Israel has the technology, the expertise, and the willingness to end their water crisis, but that this help will flow only when Iran is no longer ruled by the current regime. It was a direct link between political change and tangible improvement in daily life, acknowledging the daily struggles of the Iranian people while putting the responsibility and the opportunity squarely in their hands," Daftari told Fox News Digital.
"By tying water to freedom, he's making the idea of resistance more immediate and personal. It is a nod to the commonalities shared by the Israeli and Iranian people who just want to live normal lives away from radicalism," she added.
In June, Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war after Jerusalem acted against Tehran's nuclear program. The U.S. eventually joined, aiding Israel in destroying nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
After the war, the Iranian regime intensified its crackdown on civilians. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Iranian police claimed to have arrested as many as 21,000 people during the conflict. Despite the arrests, there have been no credible reports of mass demonstrations or coup attempts.
Netanyahu is not the only one criticizing the Iranian regime; exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has also condemned its handling of the nation's water supply.
"This regime has driven Iran's water, land, air, skies, lives, and wealth to the edge of destruction. Iran's rivers are dry, its soil eroding, its ground sinking, its air polluted, its skies in the hands of foreign forces, its economy in free fall, its people's homes without water or electricity, and their lives held hostage to the sectarian delusions of an anti-Iranian regime and its foolish leader," Pahlavi wrote on X.
In July, Pezeshkian rejected a government proposal to impose a midweek day off or a one-week summer vacation to curb shortages. He said "closing down is a cover-up and not a solution to the water shortage problem," according to Reuters.
