Iran's Caspian Sea Faces Alarming Decline

Iran’s minister of interior voiced concerns over the shrinking water level of the Caspian Sea, warning of its decline in coming decades.

Without mentioning the inattention of the regime to ecological issues, Ahmad Vahidi emphasized the importance of sharing global incident experiences to collectively address crises.

“If conditions continue in this manner, the Caspian Sea will dry up in the coming decades, and for this reason, a solution must be considered,” he added.

The decline in the world's largest lake is said to result from significant precipitation and the annual water flow. However, Iran has recently pointed fingers at Russia, particularly highlighting the closure of critical entrances, notably the Volga River, as a contributing factor to the crisis.

In August, Ali Salajegheh, the head of the Iranian Department of Environment, highlighted ecological challenges arising from a one-meter reduction in the Caspian Sea's water level over the past 4-5 years, with an average annual recession of 20 centimeters.

According to the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, “This will have significant and serious implications, including a decline of the sea water level, a considerable retreat of the sea and increase of the land and coastal area especially in upstream countries (Russia and Kazakhstan), challenges to the operation of ports and shipping, as well as environmental consequences, particularly the drying of protected areas and wetlands."

It underscores that the Caspian Sea's water level has diminished by one meter in recent years and could potentially plummet by 9 to 18 meters by the conclusion of the 21st century.