Iraq to Launch Joint Water Projects with Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Blaming Turkey as the main culprit for the shortage of water in Iraq, the Arab country’s minister of water resources said Iraq is seeking joint projects with Iran, including construction of dam on Arvand River, to address the water-related problems.
Aoun Diab said in an interview with Al Forat that Turkey has the key and major role in supplying most of Iraq’s water resources, especially in the Euphrates by 90 percent.
He noted that Iran controls only 12 percent of Iraq’s water imports.
Tensions between Iraq and Iran over the share of water had caused the severance of interaction between the energy ministries of the two countries for two years, Diab said, adding that the two neighbors have now decided to launch joint projects to address the water shortage problem after a series of negotiations.
He stated that Iraq is ready to cooperate with all countries in the region to solve the water shortage problem, adding that Iran has accepted the idea of construction of a dam on Ras al-Bisheh area of Arvand River.