Iranian and Iraqi presidents meet in Tehran

Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid has arrived in Tehran for a one-day visit, Iran's state TV reported on Saturday.Rashid was welcomed by president Ebrahim Raisi at Saadabad palace in the capital Tehran as part of his first visit to Iran since being elected president.

During his visit, the Iraqi president has called on Iran to observe Iraqi's water rights.The two nations share several rivers, including the Tigris and Euphrates, which are critical sources of water for both countries.Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi acknowledged Iraq's water rights, although he stressed Iran's right to use water of Arvand Rud, which is called Shatt al-Arab by Iraq.

River flows have fallen by 40% in the past four decades as the states along Tigris-Euphrates river basin length — Türkiye, Syria, Iran and Iraq — pursue rapid, unilateral development of the waters’ use.The drop is projected to worsen as temperatures rise from climate change.Both Türkiye and Iraq, the two biggest consumers, acknowledge they must cooperate to preserve the river system that some 60 million people rely on to sustain their lives.