<p>Sustainable water management strategies require access to reliable data with appropriate accuracy and spatial and temporal scale. Investing in the development of data infrastructure ensures the quality, security and integrity of water and climate data to support environmental policy decisions and water resources planning. This study presents the first integrated assessment of Iran’s national water and climate data infrastructure, employing a novel four-phase methodological framework that combines multi-criteria benchmarking against 11 international systems, stakeholder network analysis, strategic SWOT assessment, and economic valuation using Porter’s value chain model. Results reveal a system that significantly underperforms internationally, ranking last among benchmarked countries despite substantial physical monitoring networks. Critical governance deficits include institutional fragmentation, restricted data accessibility, centralized but non-reciprocal data flows, and underdeveloped legal frameworks. Strategic analysis positions Iran’s infrastructure in a defensive posture (Strengths-Threats quadrant) against external constraints including sanctions and funding instability, while economic valuation demonstrates strong investment justification with a 32% internal rate of return and 3-year payback period, identifying human resources and groundwater data production as highest value-added segments. The study culminates in a structured, time-bound roadmap for transforming Iran’s data infrastructure through phased implementation of policy reforms, technical modernization, capacity building, and sustainable financing mechanisms. This integrated assessment provides both a replicable methodological framework for similar contexts and a strategic blueprint for enhancing data-driven water governance to support climate resilience and sustainable resource management.</p>