Shafaq News – Baghdad

Turkiye has refused to release water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to Iraq, even after Ankara and Baghdad reached a new water-sharing agreement, the Green Iraq Observatory said on Wednesday.

According to the environmental group, Turkiye is withholding water because the terms of the deal remain unclear, emphasizing that no release will occur until Iraq begins implementing its part of the agreement.

The observatory added that the move appears ‘’deliberate,’’ aimed at pressuring Iraq, which can ‘’compromise its security, economy, and political stability.’’

Earlier this month, Iraq and Turkiye signed a water cooperation deal that would provide Iraq with one billion cubic meters of water. Under the agreement, Turkiye would oversee dam operations and irrigation systems, forgive part of Iraq’s debt, and raise annual trade between the two countries to at least $30 billion.

With drought continuing along both rivers and seasonal rainfall delayed, Iraq faces the prospect of a worsening water crisis. The observatory warned that drinking water quality has already begun to decline, reaching alarming levels.

The Ministry of Water Resources reported that 2025 could become Iraq’s driest year since 1933. Inflows into the Tigris and Euphrates basins have dropped to just 27% of last year’s levels, while reservoir storage stands at only 8% of capacity, putting agriculture and southern marshlands under severe strain.

Read more: Oil for Water: Iraq bets on new Turkiye deal to ease drought crisis