Iran’s president ridicules Netanyahu’s pledge of water aid after regime change

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent offer to help Iran solve its water crisis after a change in government, calling the proposal “an illusion.”

In a post on X/Twitter Wednesday, Pezeshkian wrote “A regime that has deprived the people of Gaza of water and food wants to bring water to the people of Iran? What an illusion!”

His remarks came a day after Netanyahu released a video message to the Iranian people, promising that once the Islamic Republic’s rulers are gone, Israel’s “top water experts will flood into every Iranian city” with cutting-edge technology. He envisioned restored lakes, flowing rivers, and revived public spaces, citing Israel’s global leadership in desalination and wastewater recycling.

Netanyahu quoted Pezeshkian’s own recent acknowledgment of severe national problems including electricity shortages, inflation, and impending dam depletion and contrasted Iran’s decline with Israel’s water achievements. He accused Tehran of spending “hundreds of billions of dollars” on Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis instead of domestic needs.

Calling on Iranians to “take to the streets” and demand accountability, Netanyahu urged them not to “let these fanatic mullahs ruin your lives for a minute longer,” assuring them that Israel and “the entire free world” stand with them. He concluded with Theodor Herzl’s words: “If you will it, it is no dream,” applying the phrase to the vision of a free Iran.

Pezeshkian’s retort underscores the deep hostility between the two governments, even as Netanyahu’s outreach attempts to bypass Iran’s leadership and speak directly to its citizens.

Israel’s message to the Iranian people remains clear: there can be partnership and progress once oppression ends.

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