The Foreign Minister Urges the Taliban to Supply Iran’s Water Share 2023

Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, issued a firm demand to the Taliban, asking them to let Iran have its fair portion of the water that comes from the Hirmand River.

Amirabdollahian made this statement during a telephone conversation on Wednesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting head of Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry.

He stated that it is seriously expected that the Taliban government will allow water from the Hirmand River, which is also known as the Helmand River in Afghanistan, to flow into Iran and provide the Islamic Republic’s share of water in practice.

Taliban to grant Iran access to the river water it was due from the Hirmand.

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs issued a warning that the inability of Afghanistan to comply will have an impact on bilateral relations.

Amirabdollahian expressed his hope that the Taliban would take the necessary steps to release water behind a dam in Afghanistan and let the water flow toward the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan. He pointed out the numerous problems that were caused by Iran not having access to its share of water and the effects that drought had on the people of Iran’s southeastern provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan. He also mentioned the impacts that drought had on the people of Sistan and Baluchestan.

In addition, he encouraged Afghanistan to abide by the conditions of the water treaty that the two countries signed in 1973 and called on the Taliban to let a joint technical committee to inspect the water reserve that is located behind the Kajakai Dam in southern Afghanistan. The deal was signed between the two nations in 1973.

Amirabdollahian then cautioned against hostile attempts to disrupt the relations between Tehran and Kabul, deplored a succession of border disputes, reminded the Taliban of their responsibility to prevent the return of border confrontations, and said, “Commitment to the security of our common border is our red line.”

Muttaqi, for his part, stated that Afghanistan is experiencing drought as well as technical concerns, and he pledged that the Taliban will attempt to address the problems with water as well as border issues.

As part of their conversation, the senior Iranian official and Muttaqi covered topics including the border commerce as well as cooperation projects involving power and railroads.

The Hindu Kush Mountains, which are located near Kabul, are the source of the Hirmand River. The river travels south for 1,126 kilometers before entering the Hamoun marshes, which are located in the Iranian provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan. Iran and Afghanistan have been embroiled in a long-running conflict about the water from the Hirmand River.

In 1973, Afghanistan and Iran came to an agreement over the equitable distribution of water from the Hirmand River, and as part of that deal, Afghanistan committed to providing Iran with an annual average of 820 million cubic meters of water.

Iran has been quite vocal about its disapproval of Afghanistan’s failure to fulfill the accord in both its word and its spirit.