Iran's Hydro-diplomacy towards its Neighbours

The West Asia region has always been in the midst of tension and even a water crisis as a result of a shortage of water supplies simultaneous with the growth of population. The lack of water has caused some disagreements and even conflicts on political relations between the countries of the region. Iran, also witnessing a decrease in water resources due to rising water consumption, needs to manage its interactions with its neighbors from a hydro politics perspective. In this regard, agreements based on the rights of beneficiary countries in the use of common water resources have been concluded in accordance with international law and cooperation in the utilization of shared water resources between these countries has been realized, but there are still disputes regarding the exploitation of water resources with some neighboring countries, such as Afghanistan, due to previous contracts imposed on Iran by the United Kingdom and other superpowers. This research, through an analytical and applied approach, attempts to reply to the question that what is Iran's hydro diplomacy towards its neighbors and what strategies are needed to activate the country's hydro diplomacy towards neighboring countries.