Iran plans to launch the second model of its Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite using the domestically developed Simorgh rocket after last week’s liftoff aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle, the head of Iran’s Space Agency said on Saturday.
“The second Nahid-2 will be launched by the Simorgh rocket after final adjustments,” Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, said. “We have the internal capacity to carry out the launch ourselves.”
The current version of Nahid-2 was launched into orbit last week from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome as part of a multi-payload mission. Iran confirmed it was one of the satellites onboard after Russian media referred only to a “foreign customer.”
Heavier launchers under development
Salarieh said the Simorgh rocket can carry satellites of up to 300 kilograms into lower orbits and that Iran is also developing heavier launch vehicles, including the Sarir and Soroush classes, which are designed for larger payloads.
The Qaem-100 launcher, also developed by Iran, can carry up to 100 kilograms and was used last year in the launch of the Soraya satellite, which drew condemnation from Western governments, who said it "uses technology essential for the development of a long-range ballistic missile system."
Chabahar launch site expansion
Salarieh said the expansion of the Chabahar space base in southeastern Iran will allow access to a broader range of orbits and reduce reliance on foreign launch facilities. “With Chabahar, we will be able to carry out more launches throughout the year, using both domestic and international options,” he said.
Karami calls it an “engineered drought”—a manufactured emergency that lets authorities avoid long-overdue reforms while shifting the financial burden to citizens.
“There is water,” he said. “But it costs the government more to deliver it in the summer—so they shift the burden to the public instead.”
Only 20–30% of Iran’s water shortage, Karami argues, is due to climate change. The rest is policy-driven—and reversible.
But instead of investing in infrastructure or reforming water use, the government relies on fear to suppress demand, while consumer prices remain unchanged.
“If people reduce their consumption just a little, it saves the government a lot of money,” he explained. “The price they pay for water stays the same, but the state spends less.”
The consequences are devastating.
Across the country, families are going days without water. Residents are hoarding bottles, installing rooftop tanks and depending on tanker trucks—some of which deliver polluted or undrinkable supplies.
Satellite imagery obtained by Iran International shows Tehran’s main reservoirs—Amir Kabir, Lar, and Latyan—at historic lows, holding less than 10% of their usable capacity.
Meanwhile, the capital is literally sinking. Over-pumping aquifers has caused parts of Tehran to subside by more than 10 inches a year.
The crisis is fixable, Karami says, yet the system profits from public panic as ordinary Iranians are left to suffer.
“This is not the first time they’ve said Tehran would run out of water in two weeks,” Karami said. “And yet, the water keeps flowing.”
Beyond drought
"The solution is: you have to take part of the water from agriculture and give it to the people. That is very easy," Karami said.
Agriculture, he said, consumes more than 90% of Iran’s freshwater annually, yet contributes just 9-12% of GDP and employs only about 17% of the workforce. In contrast, households use just 4-5%, and industry only 1%.
Despite its relatively small economic footprint, agriculture’s massive water consumption places unsustainable pressure on Iran’s finite freshwater supplies.
But Karami says this isn’t conventional agriculture but in large part state-guided enterprise aimed at provisioning Iran's sprawling military.
"They’re using all water resources for agriculture to make enough food for the soldiers," he said.
Wells proliferation
The numbers tell the story: Iran’s cultivated land has more than doubled since 1979. Deep wells have exploded from 40,000 to over one million. Roughly 40% of agricultural water is wasted in transport or lost to outdated irrigation methods.
Karami says just a 5% cut in agricultural water use would free up enough water—4 to 5 billion cubic meters—to supply Iran’s entire urban population.
He believes efficiency is possible: through irrigation upgrades, reduced waste, and mechanizing half of Iran’s farmland. But he doubts the political will exists to pursue it.
“We’re the first in the world for soil erosion. First in desertification,” Karami warned.
"The main legacy of the Islamic Republic won’t just be executions or war. It will be this: environmental collapse."
Despite the scale of the suffering, Karami doubts the current crisis will trigger mass protests. He believes the authorities will likely resolve the immediate shortages in the coming weeks—just enough to defuse tension and avoid unrest.
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