Iran has faced many water shortage crises in the past. Iran’s moisture sources for precipitation were identified by Lagrangian approach using the FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model (FLEXPART) v9.0 model. The results demonstrate that Iran receives its moisture from both continental and oceanic sources. During the wet season, moisture uptake from the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean Sea is dominant, while during the dry season, the role of the Red Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Persian Gulf is intensified. Studying drought conditions by comparing 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month standardized precipitation index (SPI) with (E-P) values of oceanic and continental moisture sources (E stands for the evaporation and P the precipitation) using multiregression model demonstrates that among oceanic sources the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean affect SPI values and among continental sources, moisture from bare grounds and cultivated lands influences SPI values during wet season. However, no correlation exists between oceanic and continental (E-P) and SPI values during the dry season. The results obtained by this study can be used by meteorologists and hydrology scientists for future water management programmes in Iran.

Iran is a semi-arid to arid country that faces a water shortage crisis. Its weather is also influenced by various air masses and moisture sources. Therefore, applying accurate stable isotope techniques to investigate Iran’s precipitation characteristics and developing Iran meteoric water lines (MWLs) as an initial step for future isotope hydrology studies is vitally important. The aim of this study was to determine the MWLs for Iran by considering air masses and dominant moisture sources. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model backward analysis was used to determine the trajectories of various air masses in 19 weather stations in Iran and the areas covered by them. δ¹⁸O and δ²H contents were obtained for precipitation events from 32 stations in Iran and four in Iraq. Stable isotope samples were gathered from different sources and analyzed in various laboratories across the world. Three MWLs for north of Iran, south Zagros, and west Zagros, were determined based on the locations of dominant air masses and moisture sources. The proposed MWLs were validated by comparison with fresh karstic spring isotope data across Iran. In addition, Iran main moisture sources MWLs were used to determine dominant moisture sources role in karstic springs and surface water resources recharge.