University of Tehran Public Law Studies Quarterly 2423-8120 55 1 2025 03 21 The Legal System for Protecting the Triple Role of Water in ‎International Armed Conflicts The Legal System for Protecting the Triple Role of Water in ‎International Armed Conflicts 355 372 99345 10.22059/jplsq.2023.350451.3205 FA Sedigheh Avaj Ph.D. Student in (International Law) Islamic Azad University, Qaemshahr, Iran‎ MAHDI ABASSI SARMADI Associate Professor, Department of International Law, Law faculty, kharazmi University, Tehran, ‎Iran Iraj Rezaee Nezhad Assistant Prof., Department of International Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, ‎Azad Islamic University of Chalus, Chalus, Iran‎ Journal Article 2022 11 02 The water crisis is entering a new phase, with its impacts becoming evident in the daily lives of millions. Day by day, whether in times of peace or armed conflict, the importance of water as a vital resource is increasing. International crises and armed conflicts suggest a future struggle for dominance over water. Water, as a subject of international negotiations or conflicts, can, depending on the context, become a factor for sustaining the life of a population or a weapon for the destruction of that same population. Consequently, contemporary international law also pays special attention to this issue, and the necessity for an independent legal system in this regard, under the title of international water law, is increasingly felt. This research, while examining the role of water as a target, means, and cause in armed conflicts, adopts a legal-philosophical integrated approach (descriptive-analytical) to explore the legal sources for the protection of water in armed conflicts. The innovation of this research lies in analyzing water in terms of its purpose, means, and cause. The most significant finding of this study is that the necessity of access to water does not tolerate the principle of separation and discrimination. The water crisis is entering a new phase, with its impacts becoming evident in the daily lives of millions. Day by day, whether in times of peace or armed conflict, the importance of water as a vital resource is increasing. International crises and armed conflicts suggest a future struggle for dominance over water. Water, as a subject of international negotiations or conflicts, can, depending on the context, become a factor for sustaining the life of a population or a weapon for the destruction of that same population. Consequently, contemporary international law also pays special attention to this issue, and the necessity for an independent legal system in this regard, under the title of international water law, is increasingly felt. This research, while examining the role of water as a target, means, and cause in armed conflicts, adopts a legal-philosophical integrated approach (descriptive-analytical) to explore the legal sources for the protection of water in armed conflicts. The innovation of this research lies in analyzing water in terms of its purpose, means, and cause. The most significant finding of this study is that the necessity of access to water does not tolerate the principle of separation and discrimination. https://jplsq.ut.ac.ir/article_99345_4d06189cf9ea9b45598c376f107808f9.pdf