Application of International Law to Protect Water Resources and Facilities Against Terrorist Crimes by Studying the Legislative Experience in Iranian Criminal Law

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Arak University, Arak, Iran
Abstract
Terrorist groups that control specific regions not only threaten social and political security, but they may also create significant problems in water supply, quality, and economic development by targeting water resources. These threats can have negative impacts on national security and the health of local communities. The main objective of this research is to analyze the terrorist threats against water resources and infrastructure, and to assess the inefficacy of domestic and international measures in countering these threats. This study employs analytical and descriptive methods to examine the effects of terrorism on water resources, as well as international documents related to combating such crimes. Additionally, the legal status and executive measures in Iran, including domestic laws and Islamic teachings, are also analyzed. The findings of the research indicate that despite global efforts to adopt legal frameworks in this regard, no effective international actions have been taken to address terrorist threats against water resources and infrastructure. This is due to the lack of attention from international organizations and governments to this issue. In Iran, despite progress in domestic regulations and Islamic principles, efforts to counter these threats still require further strengthening.
Keywords

1.     Boister, Neil (2018). An Introduction to Transnational Criminal Law, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford.
2.     Hulsroj, Peter (2002). “The Legal Function of the Security Council”, Chinese Journal of International Law, 1(1): 65-82.
3.     Chalecki, E (2001). “A New Vigilance: Identifying and Reducing th e Risk s of Environmental Terrorism”, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, September 2001 Report, p. 10, at www.pacinst.org
4.     Cook, Christina, Karen Bakker (2012). “Water Security: Debating an Emerging Paradigm”, Global Environmental Change, 22(1): 94-102.
5.     Cluster, Wash (2022). Alerte sur l’intensification des attaques aux points d’eau et tensions autour des points d’eau au Burkina Faso, 15 April, available at: https://tinyurl.com/5n6nkaxt.
6.     De Brichambaut, Perrin (2001). “The Role of the United Nations Security Council in the International Legal System”, in Michael Byers (ed.), The Role of International Law in International Politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
7.     Gleick, P. H. (2004). The water conflict chronology. In The World’s Water 2004–2005: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Gleick, P. H. (ed.). Island Press, Covelo, CA, pp. 234–255.
8.     Valcik, J. E. (1998). Biological Warfare Agents as Potable Water Threats. Medical Issues. Information Paper No. IP-31-017. US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
9.     Magill, Jim (2021). “U.S. Water Supply System Being Targeted by Cybercriminals”, Forbes, 25 July, available at: www.forbes.com/sites/jimmagill/2021/07/25/us-water-supply-system-being-targeted-by-cybercriminals/ ?sh=3f97ba2d28e7.
10. Eitzen, E.M.& Takafuji, E.T. (1997). Historical over view of biological warfare. In Text book of Military Medicine, Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare. The Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army, USA, pp. 415–424.
11. Felbab-Brown, Vanda (2015). “Water Crimes: A Global Crisison the Rise”, Brookings Institute, 20 February, available at: www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/water-crimes-a-global-crisis-on-the-rise/
12. Fox, Gregory H., Kristen E. Boon and Isaac Jenkins (2018). “The Contributions of United Nations Security Council Resolutions to the Law of Non-International Armed Conflict: New Evidence of Customary International Law”, American University Law Review, 67: 693–712.
13. Matalas, N.C (2003). “Vulnerability of Water Systems to Acts of Terrorism and Acts of Nature”, In Risk-Based Decision making in Water Resources X; ASCE: Reston, VA, USA, pp. 82–90.
14. Jabbour, C.R., Parker, L.A., Hutter, E.M., Weckhuysen, B.M (2021). “Chemical Targets to Deactivate Biological and Chemical Toxins Using Surfaces and Fabrics”, Nature Reviews Chemistry, 5: 370–387.
15. Foran, J. A. & Brosnan, T. M. (2000). “Early Warning Systems for Hazardous Biological Agents in Potable Water”, Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(10): 46-63.
16. Segato, Lorenzo, Walter Mattioli and Nicola Capello (2020). “Water Crimes within Environmental Crimes”, in Katja Eman et al. (eds), Water, Governance and Crime Issues, Springer Nature, Cham.
17. Simon, J. D. (1997). “Biological Terrorism: Preparing to Meet the Threat”, Journal of the American Medical Association, 278(5): 428–430.
18. Town”, New York Times, 8 February, available at: www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/us/oldsmarflorida-water-supply-hack.html.
19. Sowers, Jeannie and Erika Weinthal (2021). “Humanitarian Challenges and the Targeting of Civilian Infrastructure in the Yemen War”, International Affairs, 97(1): 1-18.
20. Szűcs, Gábor, Dennis G. Barten b, János Besenyő (2025). “Wastewater Treatment Systems and Terrorism”, Water Security, 24: 1-11.
21. Tignino Mara (2023). “The Regulation of Crimes Against Water in Armed Conflict Sand other Situations of Violence”, International Review of the Red Cross, 105 (923): 706–734.
22. Tyler, Wall (2022). “Throw back Attack: Hackers Attemptto Flood Israeli Water Supply with Chlorine”, Industrial Cybersecurity Pulse, 26 May, available at: www.industrialcybersecuritypulse.com/facilities/ throwback-attack-hackers-attempt-to-flood-israeli-water-supply-with-chlorine/.
23. Robles, Frances and Nicole Perlroth (2021). “Dangerous Stuff: Hackers Tried to Poison Water Supply of Florida
24. Von Lossow, Tobias (2016). “Water as Weapon: IS on the Euphrates and Tigris”, SWP Comments 3, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, available at: www.swp-berlin.org/fileadmin/ contents/products/comments/2016C03_lsw.pdf.