Iranrud

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Iranrud (Persian: ایران‌رود, lit. 'Iran River') was a plan to build a canal from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. This concept has existed among some Iranian elites since at least the time of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar but was first presented as a coherent technical plan by Hooman Farzad in 1966. Experts have since put forth various routes for the construction of this canal. Other proposed variations include a closed canal from the Caspian Sea to the Dasht-e Lut desert (Lut Canal) or connecting the Caspian Sea to Lake Urmia. The defunct Soviet government also showed interest in this project to establish a shorter sea route to countries like China and India, bypassing the Bosphorus, Dardanelles, and Suez Canal, which were controlled by Turkey and Egypt (US allies). While the plan has not been officially launched, it has proponents and opponents. Supporters of the Iranrud project highlight potential benefits such as increased revenue from the transit of oil, gas, petrochemical products, and other goods from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. They also anticipate climate improvement in Iran due to precipitation from canal evaporation, a halt to desertification, significant reductions in domestic transportation costs, expansion of fisheries along the canal, and the reclamation of desert lands. Furthermore, the project is seen as providing a unique geopolitical advantage. Conversely, opponents cite the impracticality of the plan due to the Caspian Sea's lower elevation relative to open waters, lack of benefit for northern Iran, the risk of flooding northern lands, challenges in crossing Alborz mountain range, the danger of saltwater intrusion into freshwater sources, and the potential for environmental catastrophe. From the opponents' perspective, objecting to a water transfer project in one of the world's driest and hottest regions, across its vast desert, is justifiable. There were two different proposals...