In an interview with Iraqi Tigris TV channel, Masjedi said that water shortage seems to be a regional challenge, which is not unique to a certain country, because the levels of surface and underground waters have declines.
Stressing Iran’s good cooperation with Iraq, the ambassador went on to say that the Islamic Republic has never reduced Iraqi water source.
Masjedi on behalf of Iran called on all parties involved in water shortage problem to initiate consultations instead of being trapped in negative media hypes in order to find ways out of not only water shortage but also dust storms.
Prior to this interview, he ruled out other accusations against Iran, noting that some big rivers in the Islamic country have been dry for a while.
However, Iraq’s Agriculture Minister Muhammad Karim Jassim Al-Khafaji has already acknowledged that Iran cooperates with the neighboring country in this respect.
The Iraqi minister pointed to the fact that 90 percent of Iraqi waters come from Turkey, adding that Iranians have suggested construction of joint dams to minimize the negative impact of draught in the Arab country.
Senior adviser at the Water Resources Ministry of Iraq Aoun Diab told IRNA on November 20, 2021, that dam construction in Turkey has had a very negative effect on water level of the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Moreover, some Arab media have reported that Iraqi Kurdistan region is constructing four dams on rivers, which are the source of 30 percent of water in the Arab country.
Aside from all hue and cries by certain media outlets in Iraq and regional countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to portray Iran as the one to be blamed for water shortage in Iraq, Tehran has shown readiness to collaborate with Baghdad to overcome the regional problem.
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