Iran-Russia alliance rattled as official accuses Moscow of aiding Israel

The country is already grappling with one of the worst water crises in the Middle East, with more than 300 cities currently experiencing water stress according to official statistics.

Former Agriculture Minister Isa Kalantari put the situation starkly in an interview with the Entekhab newspaper, saying the agricultural sector consumes 77 billion cubic meters of water annually—85–90 percent of Iran’s total water withdrawals—producing $40 billion in output but imposing an environmental cost of $44 billion.

A political push for food independence

Since the Islamic Revolution, food self-sufficiency has been treated as a pillar of economic independence. This strategy gained momentum during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War and amid international sanctions.

“Tensions in foreign policy have led the state to treat food sovereignty as a security issue; this approach, instead of promoting genuine development, has merely resulted in the unchecked expansion of agriculture,” said Morad Kaviani-Rad, professor of hydro-politics at Tehran University, in an interview with Entekhab.

Kaviani-Rad said that Iran’s Planning and Budget Organization recognized as early as the 1950s that the country lacked the natural capacity for full agricultural self-sufficiency and should instead prioritize industrialization.

Nevertheless, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for increased domestic food production and population growth. In a 2021 speech, he said Iran could feed four times its current population with existing rainfall if resources were managed properly.

The emphasis on food self-reliance and export-oriented agriculture has long drawn criticism from experts.

“Failing to understand the subtle yet strategic difference between ‘food self-sufficiency’ and ‘food security’ ... will destroy agriculture, the economy, water, land, natural resources, farmers’ livelihoods and the security of an entire nation,” warned Kaveh Madani, a leading Iranian environmentalist, in a December 2023 post on X.

Water-intensive exports deepen the crisis

Despite mounting evidence, Iran’s agricultural expansion continues largely unchecked, with subsidies and government incentives still promoting cultivation of thirsty crops for export, a practice often described as “exporting virtual water.”

Pistachios, for example, earned $1.5 billion in export revenues in the year to March 2025 but require 5,000–7,000 cubic meters of water per hectare annually. They are mainly grown in Kerman province, one of Iran’s driest regions, where over-extraction has led to aquifer depletion and land subsidence.

According to Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, agricultural products accounted for approximately 12 percent of the country’s non-oil exports in the year to March 2025, underscoring their economic significance.

This year’s severe drought and worsening water shortages in areas including Tehran, however, have amplified warnings about growing water-intensive crops for export.

"Just as the reservoirs are one by one approaching zero, truckloads of cucumbers, watermelons, and potatoes are being shipped to Iraq and Russia," wrote Iranian journalist Azadeh Mokhtari in Rokna News on August 22. "This isn't called export; it's called an emergency outflow of the country's water resources—with no return."

The trio dubbed the E3 is due to initiate the sanctions as early as Thursday, four diplomats cited by Reuters said, but hopes Iran will make diplomatic concessions within the next 30 days.

The snapback mechanism, part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 — which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — allows any party to the accord to file a complaint accusing Iran of non-compliance.

If no resolution is reached within 30 days, all previous UN sanctions would automatically resume and would include arms embargoes, cargo inspections and missile restrictions.

A round of nuclear talks involving Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom concluded in Geneva on Tuesday, with tangible progress announced.

Deputy foreign ministers from the four countries took part in the meetings which followed a previous round held in Istanbul in July.

The European powers have pressed Iran to resume talks with the United States and cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.

Both were put on hold amid a 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran which was capped off with US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but Israel and Western powers doubt its intentions.

Triggering the UN sanctions is likely to lead to complex, fast-paced diplomacy.

“There will be intense negotiation, diplomats say, over the form of that resolution. Among the questions are: will 2231 be extended and for how long, and will snapback clearly be allowed at a later date,” Wall Street Journal reporter Laurence Norman said on X Wednesday.

“The fundamental point is if there’s snapback tomorrow (Thursday), it’s not the end of diplomacy. It’s just going to proceed for a short period under new rules of the game,” he added.

Tehran on Wednesday warned of unspecified consequences if the countries triggered the sanctions mechanism and asserted they had no right to do so.

"In Geneva, we explained to the Europeans that, for legal reasons, they have no right to use the snapback mechanism, and that if such a thing happens, it will have consequences for them," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

"It was agreed that contacts between Iran and the European side would continue in the coming days," he added.

The hardline daily Kayhan said Australia is tied to Britain through the monarchy and, Britain should be held responsible. “When a dog bites someone, the owner is punished,” the piece said, comparing Canberra’s actions to those of a subordinate power.

The column described Australia’s decision as a move to “please the Zionist regime” following “massive protests by hundreds of thousands of Australians against genocide and the crimes of the Zionist regime,” and called it “a show to cover up pressure from the people.”

Australia accuses Iran of directing attacks on Jewish sites

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards orchestrated two arson attacks in 2024, one at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and another at the Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney.

“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said.

He added that Iran’s ambassador and three diplomats had been ordered to leave the country, and that Australia’s embassy in Tehran had suspended operations. It was the first expulsion of a foreign envoy by Canberra since World War II.

Tehran rejects charges, says Canberra is scapegoating

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied the allegations and said Iran was being punished for public support for Palestine. “Iran is paying the price for the Australian people’s support for Palestine,” he said on social media.

Araghchi said it made “zero sense” to accuse Iran of attacking Jewish sites abroad while it protects synagogues at home, and repeated criticism of Albanese. Quoting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he wrote, “I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted war criminals, but Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia's PM is indeed a weak politician.”

Netanyahu says pressure worked, Australia denies link

Netanyahu’s spokesperson said the Israeli prime minister’s criticism of Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood may have pushed Canberra to act. “It’s welcome that after the prime minister’s intervention, these actions were taken,” the spokesperson said.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected that claim. “Complete nonsense,” he said. “There was not a minute between us receiving this assessment and working through our response.”

Court hears case tied to Melbourne synagogue fire

A 20-year-old man appeared in court in Melbourne on Wednesday in connection with the synagogue fire that caused millions of dollars in damage and destroyed sacred texts. Two other suspects have also been charged.

Burke said the individuals were unlikely to have known they were acting under Iranian direction, but added that this did not diminish the seriousness of the case.

Khamenei on Sunday appeared to dismiss a manifesto by reformist groups which called for direct talks with Washington and suspension of uranium enrichment.

Hardliners were quick to interpret his words as a rebuke to the authors of the recent Reform Front statement and figures such as former president Hassan Rouhani and his foreign minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif, who also urge direct talks and diplomacy.

“Those who say, ‘Why don’t you negotiate directly with the United States and solve the issues,’ are superficial, because the reality is different," Khamenei said in his speech.

Analysts are divided over the implications. Dissident commentator Reza Alijani told Iran International that Khamenei’s stance reveals “a backward Cold War mindset” hostile to compromise, warning he is “gambling with the fate of the country and the Iranian people.”

Others argue the speech was more rhetorical than absolute. Ruhollah Rahimpour noted in a post on X that Khamenei has made similar statements even while Iran’s diplomats were actively engaged in talks.

The timing of the remarks, however, is significant. Just a week earlier, the Reform Front called for direct US negotiations, suspension of enrichment, and acceptance of full IAEA monitoring in exchange for sanctions relief.

Hardliners hailed Khamenei’s speech as a rejection of that appeal.

“The Leader’s wise remarks struck like a resounding slap against submissive reformists—against Rouhani, Zarif, (Mohammad) Akhoundi, Azar Mansouria and others,” wrote ultra-hardliner activist Alireza Aliyaninejad on X.

Ultra-hardliner defiance

Khamenei’s simultaneous expression of support for President Masoud Pezeshkian and emphasis on a united front against foreign enemies has complicated the picture.

Reformist-leaning figures and outlets highlighted the endorsement, while some ultra-hardliners such as lawmaker Hamid Rasaei insisted such support was merely pro forma.

Only hours after the speech, Rasaei suggested that parliament could oust Pezeshkian for incompetence, likening him to Iran’s first president Abolhassan Banisadr, who was impeached in 1981 despite Ayatollah Khomeini’s earlier backing.

The threat against Pezeshkian triggered backlash even within conservative circles.

Revolutionary Guards-affiliated media accused Rasaei of defying Khamenei’s call for unity. A Telegram channel believed close to the Guards warned: “This is a complete final warning—in the true sense of the word—to you and to all (ultra-hardliners) who, contrary to the explicit order of the Supreme Leader, engage in creating distractions and acting against national cohesion and unity.”

The Guards-affiliated Javan newspaper went further, calling for Rasaei to be prosecuted.

Green light for prosecution?

Judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei warned the Reform Front over its statement: “Those who, whether out of negligence or questionable motives, signed it should acknowledge their mistake and withdraw this disgraceful act. Naturally, the Tehran prosecutor will also carry out his legal duty."

Reformists rejected the accusation of betrayal.

“The Reformist Front’s statement is not an alignment with the enemy, but the voice of the voiceless who are worried about Iran. Judicial action against ‘opinions, criticism, and proposed solutions’ reflects a crisis in listening,” responded Azar Mansouri, the Front’s leader, on X.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Iran of two antisemitic arson attacks and ordered its ambassador to leave the country. He also said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards would be listed as a terrorist group.

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi posted on X that Tehran "is paying the price for the Australian people's support for Palestine."

"Iran is home to among the world's oldest Jewish communities including dozens of synagogues. Accusing Iran of attacking such sites in Australia while we do our utmost to protect them in our own country makes zero sense," Araghchi said.

• 

  Iran slams Australia envoy's ouster, warns of response

Albanese said intelligence gathered by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization showed Iran had directed attacks on a kosher restaurant in Sydney and a synagogue in Melbourne last year.

“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese told reporters.

Araghchi called Albanese a weak politician, citing remarks by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted War Criminals, but Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia's PM is indeed a 'weak politician,'" he added, referring to Netanyahu's remarks last week in which he accused Australia of betraying Israel and abandoning Australia's Jewish communities.

"Canberra should know better than to attempt to appease a regime led by War Criminals. Doing so will only embolden Netanyahu and his ilk," Araghchi said.

Australia's move marked the first time it had expelled an envoy since World War II when the country declared war on Japan and expelled its ambassador.

The Australian government had previously warned Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi over inflammatory social media posts, including a June message where he described Israel as “the most venomous snake on the planet” and a “genocidal regime.”

Albanese said the government’s actions sent a message that foreign-directed aggression on Australian soil would not be tolerated.