Hundreds of people gathered on Friday at a mosque in northern Tehran to pray for rain, with Iran gripped by one of its worst droughts in decades.

Rainfall in the capital has this year been at its lowest level in a century, local officials say, and half of Iran’s provinces have not seen a drop in months.

Faced with water shortages, the government has decided to cut off water supplies periodically to Tehran’s 10-million-strong population to limit consumption.

On Friday, men and women gathered at the Emamzadeh Saleh mosque in the Iranian capital and said a special prayer to implore God for rain.

Tehran nestles on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains and has hot, dry summers usually relieved by autumn rains and winter snowfall.

The mountain peaks, usually already covered in snow at this time of year, are still dry.

Tehran is by far the country’s biggest city and its inhabitants use three million cubic metres of water per day, according to local media.

Last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian cautioned that without rainfall before winter, Tehran could face evacuation, though he did not elaborate.

The government later explained that Pezeshkian had only wanted to alert residents that the situation was serious and was not presenting a concrete plan.

Of the five major dams supplying drinking water in the capital, one is empty and another is at less than 8% of capacity, officials say.

The situation in the rest of the country is hardly any better. Local media reported that Iran’s precipitation level this year has reached just 152 millimetres, a 40% decline compared to the 57-year average.

• Winning Bihar, 3rd most-populous state, with nearly 130m people crucial.
• Modi’s coalition well ahead of majority mark of 122 seats in Bihar.
• Result would be boost for Modi after national vote setback in 2024.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is set to comfortably retain power in the poor and populous state of Bihar, a vote count showed on Friday, giving him a boost after a disappointing national vote last year.

Winning Bihar is crucial because it is India’s third-most-populous state with nearly 130 million people and it sends the fifth-highest number of lawmakers to Parliament. Control of the eastern state strengthens any party’s power in the Hindi heartland and often helps to shape national political narratives.

Modi’s National Democratic Alliance coalition could easily cross the majority mark of 122 seats, with data from the Election Commission of India showing it was leading in more than 170 seats. TV channel NDTV said it was ahead in 191 seats, a potential gain of 69 seats from the last election.

“Bihar’s mandate is clear!” Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party said on X. “The people have made it clear — now development is the identity. Not jungle raj, good governance is needed!”

The Bihar outcome would mark a sharp reversal for Modi, who lost his parliamentary majority in last year’s national elections and had to lean on allies to remain in power. Since then, his party has steadily regained ground, winning several key state contests.

Political analysts have said one of the key factors in the Bihar election was Modi’s September transfer of ₹75 billion ($853 million) to millions of women in the state under an employment programme.

Women voters across India have turned out in greater numbers over the past decade and political parties have competed to attract them. Previously, men easily outnumbered women at India’s polling stations.

Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari, who travelled across Bihar during the election — which was held in two phases on November 6 and 11 — said it was “just the women” who were set to give Modi a better result than what he received the last time.

According to a survey this week by Tiwari’s VoteVibe agency, Modi’s alliance secured 48.5% of the female vote, more than 10 percentage points higher than the main opposition bloc.

States including Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are due to go to the polls next year. Of those states, the BJP is in power only in Assam.

Iran and Qatar on Thursday expressed serious concern over the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, urging regional countries to play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability.

The statement came during a phone call between Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani.

“The foreign ministers of Iran and Qatar, while expressing concern over tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressed the importance of continued regional efforts to preserve peace and stability in the area,” said a statement issued by Iran’s foreign ministry.

Bilateral relations between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration in Kabul have deteriorated following two major terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent days—one at Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another in Islamabad.

Tuesday’s suicide bombing targeted the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing 12 people and injuring at least 36 others, including lawyers and petitioners present at the court building.

The attack coincided with Pakistani forces clearing Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan, eliminating all Fitna al-Khawarij militants—a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan—who had infiltrated the educational institution.

The statement added that Araghchi and Thani also discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, emphasizing the importance of strengthening cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Additionally, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Gaza and the recent US draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council, highlighting the need for continued consultations to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination.

Russia, Iran push for continued Pak-Afghan talks

On November 12, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi exchanged views on the latest bilateral and regional developments.

They welcomed the agreement reached between the Taliban administration in Kabul and Islamabad — mediated by Qatar and Turkiye — on a mutual ceasefire and an end to cross-border firing along the Pak-Afghan borders.

Lavrov and Araghchi called for continued dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve differences through political and diplomatic means, in the interests of ensuring regional stability and security.

They also discussed developments in the Middle East, particularly the Palestinian–Israeli issue and its consideration at the UN Security Council.

The two ministers reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the unconditional implementation of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Iran, which entered into force on 2 October.