Amwaj:

Bijan Khajehpour

Iran has over the past decade faced a deepening crisis in its water sector, rooted in multiple causes—including a deficient governance structure. Recent revelations by former agriculture minister Issa Kalantari, who also previously headed the department of environment, have reignited debate over the political economy of water management. A veteran policymaker, Kalantari in late August explicitly spoke of a “water mafia” that has come to dominate the sector—turning what should be a public resource into a rent-seeking enterprise.

“Mahab Qods is the decision maker of the ‘water mafia’,” Kalantari declared, accusing the engineering consultancy of monopolizing state contracts and earning a percentage from every major water project. He further alleged that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) companies “Khatam Al-Anbia and Sepasd destroyed the private water sector in Iran,” suggesting that powerful semi-state conglomerates have crowded out competition.

Kalantari’s intervention has shed light on what many experts describe as a system of policy capture, where engineering firms and quasi-military contractors influence national water strategies for profit rather than sustainability.

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