University of Birjand-Research Group of Drought and Climate Change Journal of Drought and Climate change Research 3092-6076 Articles in Press 2025 12 23 Assessing the security implications of climate change and drought in the Karun and Zohreh- Jarahi watersheds Assessing the security implications of climate change and drought in the Karun and Zohreh- Jarahi watersheds 3838 10.22077/jdcr.2025.10095.1171 FA Sayed Abdoolmanan Daneshi PHD Student 0009-0008-4742-2389 Alireza Ghazizadeh Faculty Member, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology Alireza Rashidi Master’s Student Journal Article 2025 09 16 This quantitative-survey study aimed to assess the security consequences of climate change and drought in the Karun and Zohreh Jarahi watersheds, and was conducted with a sample of 226 experts and managers in the water and security sectors. The data were analyzed using a researcher-made questionnaire and advanced statistical techniques including exploratory factor analysis, correlation, and structural equation modeling. The research findings identified three key dimensions of the water crisis: socio-legal justice (factor loading 0.87), political governance (0.79), and bio-economic resilience (0.72), which explain a total of 71% of the variance. The results of Pearson correlation (0.47 to 0.72) and structural equation modeling (CFI=0.93) confirmed the direct impact of climate change on the five dimensions of the water crisis and the ground-breaking role of the political index (β=0.52-0.62).The findings of this study indicate that addressing the security implications of climate change requires a comprehensive approach focused on reforming water governance and achieving water justice This quantitative-survey study aimed to assess the security consequences of climate change and drought in the Karun and Zohreh Jarahi watersheds, and was conducted with a sample of 226 experts and managers in the water and security sectors. The data were analyzed using a researcher-made questionnaire and advanced statistical techniques including exploratory factor analysis, correlation, and structural equation modeling. The research findings identified three key dimensions of the water crisis: socio-legal justice (factor loading 0.87), political governance (0.79), and bio-economic resilience (0.72), which explain a total of 71% of the variance. The results of Pearson correlation (0.47 to 0.72) and structural equation modeling (CFI=0.93) confirmed the direct impact of climate change on the five dimensions of the water crisis and the ground-breaking role of the political index (β=0.52-0.62).The findings of this study indicate that addressing the security implications of climate change requires a comprehensive approach focused on reforming water governance and achieving water justice