Explaining the Border Challenges of Iran and Iraq with an Emphasis on Hydro-Political Resources

Iran and Iraq, as two influential actors in historical periods, have always been influenced by convergent/divergent actions arising from geographical realities in between and in the region, because the factor of geography somehow imposes itself on political systems. Therefore, in recent years, one of the border challenges between Iran and Iraq that has affected the foreign policy of the two countries has been the issues related to hydro-politics. Applying a descriptive-analytical method, the present study aims to answer the following question: What are the most important border challenges of Iran and Iraq in the field of hydro-politics? To conduct the current research, after collecting the documents related to the research, they were explained and analyzed, and the obtained results showed that the most important border challenges of Iran and Iraq in the field of hydro-political resources can be analyzed in two local and regional dimensions. In the local dimension, the mismanagement of water resources and jeopardizing border security due to the crisis-generating potential of the western borders of the country, which can be explained in this issue, first; it mentioned the possibility of a negative reaction of the local people to any action to agree with Iraq to hand over any water resources, taking into account the reduction of these resources; second, intensification of environmental hazards, including the increase of fine dust in the western provinces of the country, which will have a negative reaction inside the country. In the regional dimension, the lack of mutual agreement between the two countries of Iran and Iraq on the use of water resources of the border rivers, which can lead to the formation of any political and security tensions with a regional approach in the future, and determining the share of water rights has become a lever of pressure on the part of the two countries against political demands.