Hamdani said that Iranian authorities will try to justify their moves using the 1975 Algiers Agreement, part of which touches on distribution of water resources.
The treaty governs the border between the new neighborhoods, including joint control of the Shatt al-Arab near the Gulf.
“There is no logic for why Iran is keeping a lot of water in its territory and not letting it flow into Iraq,” he said.
According to NRT he added: “It violates international law."
Given the lack of regional precipitation this winter, experts predict a severe drought in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq this summer.
The situation is exacerbated by upstream water flow restrictions by Iran and Turkey through their extensive damming programs.
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