Mining engineer Alain Gachet warns of a historic crisis — but sees reconstruction as Europe’s opportunity
Iran is fighting what may become the world’s first war over water. That is the stark assessment of Alain Gachet, mining engineer and founder of the Gachet Foundation, speaking on the nineteenth day of the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
The war has already claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people according to the American non-profit Human Rights Activists in Iran, while the Iranian government has been systematically dismantling strategic infrastructure — most recently the South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar and which represents the world’s largest natural gas reserve.
A crisis rooted in water scarcity
Gachet, who spent two decades in petroleum exploration before dedicating himself to researching underground water resources, argues that water lies at the very heart of this conflict. Iran consumes 93% of its gas domestically and manages to export only 7%, largely because sanctions have prevented the country from developing liquefaction infrastructure for seaborne exports. With natural resources now a primary military target — for the first time in history, Gachet notes — water has become both a weapon and an objective.
The country’s water crisis is severe and systemic. The Gulf states have long relied on desalination plants: 42% of drinking water in Gulf countries comes from desalination, reaching 90% in Kuwait, 86% in Oman, and 70% in Bahrain. The recent attack on the desalination island of Qeshm illustrates how explosive water scarcity has become. Iran extracts over 60 billion cubic meters of groundwater annually — a figure Gachet describes as unsustainable, with studies showing the plateau sinking by as much as 35 centimetres per year in some areas.
A mineral superpower hiding in plain sight
Yet beneath its parched surface, Iran sits on extraordinary wealth. The country holds some of the world’s largest reserves of zinc, copper, and uranium, and ranks among the top ten nations for mineral resources overall. From the island of Kharg alone, petroleum sales to China generate between 78 and 80 billion dollars annually.
“Iran’s subsoil is a gold mine of zinc, copper, uranium, and rare earths,” Gachet has said. “But it consumes a great deal of water.”
The solution: back to the roots
Gachet’s prescription is rooted in history. The ancient qanat underground aqueducts — abandoned in recent decades in favour of large dams built without adequate planning — could be restored and modernised with European engineering expertise to rebuild water security.
This is where Italy and Europe enter the picture. Gachet believes the continent is ideally positioned to play a central role in post-war reconstruction, both in rebuilding hydraulic infrastructure and in reactivating gas production. Italy in particular, with its technical competence in hydraulics and water management, could have a decisive role.
“The first and fundamental priority is achieving peace,” Gachet has said. “For the future of Italy, and of Europe, it is important that Iran grows.”
