directing their anger at the regime. these people are shouting death to the islamic republic! prolongued drought and high temperatures have brought on a water crisis. it s devastated agriculture, dried up rivers, and led to electricity blackouts. khuzestan province, in the southwest, is at the heart of these protests. it sits on 80% of iran s oil and 60% of its gas reserves. in other words, it s critical to the country s economy. it also has the densest arab population. and that s often led to tensions, violence and attempted separatism. but it shouldn t come as a shock to iran s government. in 2018, the former head of iran s environmental protection agency said we re past the crisis stage. it s a water bankruptcy. our demand and consumption are way higher than the available water. this year, the world meteorological organisation warned that