The Karkheh Dam (Persian: سد کرخه) is a large multi-purpose earthen embankment dam built in Iran on the Karkheh River in 2001 by the contractor of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Central Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The Karkheh Dam is designed to irrigate 320,000 hectares (790,000 acres) of land, produce 520 MW of hydro-electricity[1] and prevent downstream floods.

Based on IWPCO records, dam's power plant generated total of 4,941 GWh electricity during 2002–2008.

[4] Hawizeh Marshes is affected by the torrential sediments of rivers such as Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq and Karkheh in Iran.

[citation needed] In 1956, studies began on the Karkheh Dam by the American company Development and Resources Corporation, which was headed by David E. Lilienthal, the former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).