The effect of climate change may be highly uneven. Some regions will be fine with adaptation, while other places will hardly sustain cities.

Iran's situation with water has always been precarious, hence the massive ancient system of channels and aqueducts, which was mostly destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century.

I wonder if, today, the overall brain drain is contributing to the situation. Iranian engineers don't have to put up with the regime's shenanigans if they don't want to. How many of the people who could have managed the situation are abroad?