Category: News

With the start of US and Israeli military operations against Iran, analysts traditionally focus on the condition of commodity markets, be it hydrocarbons, aluminum or fertilizers. However, the real strategic resource that is under attack is fresh water.

The issue of freshwater scarcity is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, but its discussion is rarely placed in the context of current armed conflicts. The operation launched by the US and Israel in February of this year clearly demonstrated how devastating the impact of military operations on water security can be. Fortune magazine recently noted․ The decisive factor in the war with Iran is not oil, but water.

The war unleashed by Washington is having an extremely negative impact on the problem of water scarcityas a result of both direct destruction and the influence of mediated economic and climatic mechanisms. The regional aspect of the problem is more obvious. We are talking about the immediate destruction of vital infrastructures. One of the most obvious and alarming manifestations of the conflict was the targeted attack on water supply facilities. In the conditions where the Persian Gulf countries are the most water-scarce countries in the world, their dependence on desalination plants turns into a strategic vulnerability. The region produces about 40 percent of the world’s desalinated water, operating more than 400 plants along the coast.

According to The Economist, the arid Arab countries of the Persian Gulf increasingly rely on desalination, which provides 90 percent or more of drinking water for Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and nearly as much for Oman. For Saudi Arabia, this indicator is 70 percent, and for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – approximately 40 percent. This under these conditions, any serious damage to water infrastructure facilities is tantamount to a humanitarian disaster. The countries of the Persian Gulf depend on thousands of water treatment plants, the most productive of which are located along the coast. And this makes them easily accessible for missile and drone strikes.

Although Iran relies much less on desalination capacity, Western sources report that the country’s water shortage is still quite severe. Over the decades, construction of dams and large-scale water abstraction have depleted the reserves. Almost a third of Iranians face water shortages. Given the current situation, the war is unlikely to help Tehran’s already modest cooperation with neighboring countries on water issues. at the same time As the conflict continues, Iran may cut off water supplies to its Gulf neighbors։ However, the probability that it will run out of water is increasing, summarizes The Economist.

Attacking civilian water infrastructure is traditionally considered a war crime. There have already been reports that the American troops attacked the water treatment plant on the Iranian island of Qeshm. Bahrain, in turn, accused Iran of attacking one of its desalination plants. Earlier, when Donald Trump abandoned his threat to destroy Iranian power plants, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it would retaliate by striking water facilities in the Persian Gulf countries.

Macquarie analysts warn. A strike on key facilities such as desalination plants will be a sharp escalation step.. In one of the analytical reports published a few years ago, it was calculated that if the water infrastructure of Saudi Arabia were to be disabled, then the capital, Riyadh, with its eight and a half million inhabitants, would have to be evacuated within a week.

The scale of dependence on a single object is amazing. The complex in Jubail produces 1.6 million cubic meters of water per day. The American embassy in the Kingdom once gave such an assessment. without Jubilee Station, the Saudi government will simply cease to function.

Most likely, Iran’s refusal to attack the water infrastructures of the pro-Western countries in the region is not a weakness, but a conscious diplomatic move. By avoiding attacks on the most vulnerable link of the infrastructure of its neighbors, Tehran actually sends them a clear and unambiguous signal. “We are able to dramatically escalate the situation, but we don’t do it consciously. “Maybe you should put pressure on the US and demand a de-escalation before we cross that line.”

At the same time, in addition to direct destruction, the conflict has triggered mechanisms whose impact on water resources is delayed in time, but no less destructive. These mechanisms are global in nature and turn the regional war into a factor of global water instability.

Thus, the collapse of the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost 50 percent of the world’s urea and sulfur exports pass, has led to the collapse of the fertilizer market. The FAO described the situation as “one of the most rapid and serious disruptions in global commodity flows in recent times.” Between February and March 2026, urea prices increased by almost 46 percent. This directly affects agriculture. Agricultural producers around the world face the impossibility of buying fertilizer, which leads to a decrease in yields.

The relationship between fertilizers and water resources is twofold. On the one hand, declining yields force farmers to expand acreage or increase irrigation water intake to compensate for losses, which increases the burden on depleted aquifers. On the other hand, in the long run, the food crisis leads to the destabilization of states and, as a consequence, a weakening of their ability to invest in water-saving technologies and support water infrastructure.

Climate damage and its implications for hydrology also occur. According to available data, several million tons of greenhouse gases were released into the atmosphere during the first two weeks of the conflict, which exceeds the annual carbon footprint of 84 countries combined. The bombing of oil fields and infrastructure has resulted in the so-called “black rains,” precipitation laden with soot and toxins that not only threatens public health but also contaminates surface water. As a result, such consequences of military operations have long-term negative impacts on climate change, which in turn act as a “threat multiplier” for water security. According to pessimistic estimates, the climate footprint of this war will be felt for decades, exacerbating the global water crisis outside the theater of war.

The political consequences of the conflict could be extremely negative for the international water cooperation system: Attacks on civilian water infrastructure, which qualify as violations of the Geneva Conventions, set a dangerous precedent of impunity. Where transboundary water disputes are escalating, the erosion of international legal norms is fraught with increased conflicts over control of water sources.: Analysts stress that continued attacks on desalination plants threaten to knock out life support systems that serve around 100 million people. The destruction of a single plant can leave entire cities without water in countries where alternative sources are virtually non-existent.

Meanwhile, the availability of water dictates new rules for agriculture. Yield growth is already weakly dependent on areas and agro-technologies. water determines almost everything. World Bank experts have calculated, that we would only be able to feed 3.4 billion people within the environmental limits of the planet. The rest of the food is the result of relentless consumption of resources. The main problem is not how much water is used, but its extremely uneven distribution between countries and sectors.. Bank specialists are convinced that both the architecture of the agrarian sector and the budget policy ignore this factor. As a result, product volumes are increasing, but along with them, system limitations are also accumulating.

Recently, Victor Danilov-Danilyan, scientific head of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted․

«The water crisis is intensifying in the world. consumption increases and fresh water available for use becomes less. Russia, which has the second largest amount of water resources on the planet, receives both economic benefits and serious difficulties due to this.”

The expert emphasizes that renewable water resources play the main role. According to his estimate, over the last hundred years, taking into account pollution and over-consumption, humanity has already lost about 20 percent of available water.: This deficit does not yet pose a direct threat to human life, but it will inevitably lead to a reshaping of the global economy, as cheap water will become increasingly scarce. According to the scientist, the solution will be the transfer of production to other regions and the change of the structure of consumption.

In this sense, the US-Israeli war against Iran could be a turning point in the recognition of water security as an integral part of global stability.։ The conflict clearly demonstrated that water infrastructure has transformed from a passive element of the utility economy into a strategic target and tool of pressure.։

The regional crisis in the Middle East, through the disruption of food and fertilizer supply chains, climate damage and the erosion of international law, is having a powerful negative impact on water resources policies around the world.

In the conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran, the main attention of the world community is focused on direct losses and geopolitical consequences. And here, apparently, the damage done to water resources and infrastructure remains unaccounted for. Meanwhile, another Gulf War has not only exposed the critical vulnerability of water systems in the arid region of the Middle East. It has provoked a number of global consequences that could worsen the already tense situation with water resources in a large part of the planet.

The scale of the consequences dictates the need for a radical review of approaches to the protection of water systems. National governments should diversify water supply sources as well as decentralize water management infrastructure and strengthen its sustainability and security.: At the international level, the need to create effective mechanisms to hold accountable for attacks on water infrastructures, as well as to integrate water security issues into the agenda of peacekeeping and climate diplomacy has matured.: Experts emphasize that without it, any efforts to combat the water shortage may be nullified by new wars, the main theater of which may not be oil fields, but desalination plants and reservoirs.

Andrey Kadomtsev

political scientist

interaffairs.ru

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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“Jermuk Group” belonging to the family of KP Marz Governor Vahagn Arsenyan received another privilege at the regular session of the government. the privilege of exemption from customs duty is estimated at 226 million drams.

“Jermuk Group” CJSC plans to use the imported raw materials for the production of polyethylene thermal insulation film. Within the framework of the project, it is planned to invest 3.4 billion drams for the purchase of raw materials.

Currently, there are 558 jobs with an average monthly salary of AMD 250,000 until 2027. it is planned to increase the number of jobs to 564 with an average monthly salary of AMD 260,000. The value of the goods presented for obtaining the privilege is 3.4 billion drams,” the justification states.

By the way, this company regularly receives privileges from the government. for example, in January 2026, it received a customs duty exemption of about 18 million AMD to import equipment for the purpose of export and logistics development, in November 2024, an exemption of about 600 million AMD was granted for the import of trucks (DAF tractors and Krone semi-trailers), in June 2024, it received an exemption from customs duty of 576 million AMD, in September 2023, it was granted is a 102.6 million dram privilege for the import of goods with a total value of 8.3 billion drams, etc.

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Greenhouse owner, flower grower Artak Tovmasyan like hundreds of other greenhouse owners continue to suffer due to restrictions on the export of flowers and agricultural products from Armenia to Russia.

Russia has limited the import of flowers from Armenia since May 22. “Rosselkhoznadzor” stated that the purpose of the decision is to ensure the protection of a healthy phytosanitary environment.

“Despite the guarantees presented by the RA SATM, quarantine plants for the EASM continue to be found. During the importation of 96.2 million flowers and plants, 135 such cases were recorded, which makes up 77 percent of the total cases detected in the entire year 2025,” noted “Rosselkhoznadzor”.

“No meetings with anyone. After the day of the export ban, there is only one difference: the pile of spoiled flowers has grown. I suffered 15 million drams in 2026 alone.”

Artak Tovmasyan responded to the observation that yesterday the European Union announced to provide 50 million euros of immediate aid and to send a batch of 10,000 flowers to Latvia. “Only I can send the 10,000 batch. Which greenhouse owner of the republic should send?

They can send the money, but there are commas between the words, not everyone understood. when I export to Latvia, they will remove the customs duty and pay 37 drams for each flower. If they won’t give me a phytosanitary certificate, I can’t take it out to Latvia, how will the 37 drams be returned to me subsidized?

Another thing: they will say, have you spoiled a flower worth 10 thousand, or 2000-3000, until we see what happens? But nothing will happen. they cheat and cheat.”

After significant Russian restrictions on Armenian products, Nikol Pashinyan told the media that the first batches of flowers and vegetables have already left Armenia for the markets of the European Union and other countries.

At the last session, the Government approved the measure “Supporting the export of greenhouse-produced fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers from the territory of the Republic of Armenia”. It is noted that within the framework of the program, the economic operators exporting greenhouse tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and flowers will be provided with compensation in order to ensure competitiveness in the markets of other countries.

“Regarding some main exported product groups, compensation for the exported volume is set with the following limit: for each 1 kg of strawberries – 770 AMD, for each 1 kg of tomatoes – 275 AMD, for pepper – 400 AMD, for each 1 flower – 37 AMD. This program can be used by legal entities considered to be RA residents, individual entrepreneurs or natural persons who have exported products from the territory of RA from June 1 to July 1, 2026,” explained Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan and added that the duration of the support measure is 1 month, but it can be revised if necessary.

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During the preparation days of the military parade-report held on May 28, on May 22-23, it came to light that the RA authorities decided to change the coat of arms of the RA Armed Forces, as the one depicted in the posters posted on the Republic Square was significantly different from the official one.

Only days later, on May 27, the RA Ministry of Defense introduced The new coat of arms of the Army of the Republic of Armenia, where the tricolor of the Republic of Armenia is present, the map of the Republic of Armenia “developed” by Nikol Pashinyan is also depicted on it, an eagle with a sword in one hand and a cross in the other, that is, the place of the cross has been changed.

And on January 23, 2001, approved by the President of the Republic of Armenia, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Robert Kocharyan and used before the new one appeared, the RA flag is depicted on the coat of arms of the RA Armed Forces, without the map of “real Armenia”. By the way, “State symbols” of the official website of the RA Ministry of Defense section is still the old coat of arms.

It should be noted that before the presentation of the new coat of arms of the RA Ministry of Defense and the presentation of the explanation for changing it, 168.amsent a written request to Suren Papikyan to find out when the idea of ​​changing the coat of arms of the RA was born, the sketch was developed, and who was its author, in response to which, in its reply letter sent only on June 5, the defense department said:

“As part of the transformation of the RA Armed Forces, the works on the new coat of arms of the RA Armed Forces started in January 2024. They were carried out by leading specialists and military personnel. During the works, not only the emblem of the Armed Forces was designed and implemented, but also the insignia of the sergeant system, officer’s epaulettes and combat troops.

Let us add that the concept of transformation of the army was submitted in November 2024.

And on January 28, 2024, at the festive event dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the formation of the Army of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan had announced that the mindset in the army needs to change.

“And that change should be expressed in every detail, starting with the uniform, continuing with the appearance of each soldier, continuing with the environment, weapons and equipment in the places of permanent deployment, the salary of servicemen and the system of social guarantees, our requirements for the professional skills of servicemen and the degree of ideological training of each serviceman. We have started this process, but I can’t say whether we are moving fast enough.”

And instead of “combat army”, the wording “defensive army” began to be used.

In one of the articles we wrote that when it comes to defense capability (оборонопоспосность), the state is first of all in mind. And the defense capability of the country (оборонопоспосность государство) is a comprehensive concept or state, and the military power or the fighting ability of the army is a component of it.
In other words, the defense capability of the country is ensured not only by the military construction, but also by the powerful economy (this determines the quality of the military or defense construction), the development trends of the military industry, the demographic picture, the functioning of all state bodies in peace and war situations, the foreign policy, in some ways even the legal-legislative base, the moral and psychological disposition of the public, etc.

When, for example, the head of Russia sees a threat to its borders from NATO, he instructs the government to increase the country’s defense capabilities, which means the implementation of complex measures.

Let’s return to the issue of changing the emblem and insignia of the Armed Forces.

On May 26 we wrote that in January 2020, a new version of the emblem of the RA Ministry of Defense was circulated, which was perceived as the emblem of the RA Armed Forces and gave rise to various interpretations: “there is no power in it, the lion’s wings have nothing to do with the animal, the swords are not Armenian, that the Armenian crosses have been flourishing since the Urartian region, and the Celtic one is a combination of the Scandinavian emblems of Thor and Odin”, etc.

And the fact that there is a discussion about a new version of the emblem of the Ministry of Defense became clear in the context of the Army Day celebration, because it was printed on the invitation card. Later at that time Artsrun Hovhannisyan, spokesperson of the RA Ministry of Defense clarification spread that it is not about the coat of arms of the Armed Forces.

“This is not the coat of arms of the RA Armed Forces, but a version of the coat of arms of the RA Defense Ministry.

If we leave aside our personal opinions, several circumstances are important here.

This is a draft, not official, not final.

2. Neither in this picture, nor in yesterday’s circulated picture, the symmetry of the lines may not be preserved, because it is not a vector file.

3. This project can become official in case of public support. It can become.”

Accordingly, in our written request addressed to RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan on May 27, 2026, reminding us of this, we asked the following question: “Whether a new version of the coat of arms was approved in 2019-2020 by the order of the then RA Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, if so, we will ask you to provide the draft or original version, and inform by whom it was canceled.”

Moreover, we have also asked to be informed whether there was an idea to change the coat of arms of the Armed Forces before 2018.

In response to our questions, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia only stated in its reply. “Regarding your second question and the posted picture, we should note that it was never a variant of the Armed Forces coat of arms.”

And whether it was officially used as a logo, there is no word on this, when, we repeat, in the questioning, we presented in detail that it was presented as a version of the Army logo by the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, how could the logo be on the Army Day invitation card, if there was no intention to make it a coat of arms?

By the way, before the defense department responded to our written request, former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Davit Tonoyan in a briefing with journalists referred to to this question.

“If I’m not mistaken, back in 2016, the Ministry of Defense created a very open and public interagency commission and involved artists, heraldists (heraldists), because actually our coat of arms had heraldic problems. That change was placed before us, I chaired that committee. We had a result, we had a coat of arms, which was later qualified as not a coat of arms, and I think it is still used in the Ministry of Defense, it is a winged lion. And regarding the new one, I can’t give you my assessment, because there is no friend to the taste,” explained the former Minister of Defense, essentially confirming in our article published on May 26 and information included in our written request to the Ministry of Defense thereafter.

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Today, the infamous “Baghramyan 26” telegram channel distributed a completely fake and artificially generated recording, in which the voice of the “HayaVote” union coordinator Avetik Chalabyan can be heard.

This regular discussion by the servants of the government aims to tarnish Chalabyan’s good reputation and influence the voter’s free expression, that is, one day before the elections, on the official day of silence.

In the near future, Avetik Chalabyan will contact the law enforcement agencies to find out the source of this regular fraud.

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