Iranian Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, has said that Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River is a top priority for his country. He has called on the Taliban to fulfill their obligations in this regard.
According to Tasnim News, during a meeting on Sunday, Vahidi expressed concern over the failure of Afghanistan authorities to deliver the agreed-upon amount of 820 million cubic meters of water to Iran, which has caused difficulties for the Iranian people.
Iran has raised complaints in recent months regarding the Taliban’s failure to uphold Afghanistan’s treaty obligations of providing Iran’s share of water from the Helmand River. Iran claims to receive less than four percent of its entitled water rights from the river.
In May, during a visit to the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned the Taliban that the group must fulfill its obligations on delivering Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River.
“I am issuing a warning to the rulers of Afghanistan, that they should immediately give the water rights of the people of Sistan and Baluchistan,” Raisi said. “You should take my words very seriously so that you won’t complain later,” he warned the Taliban.
In response, the Taliban has said that it remained committed to the 1973 treaty which obliges Afghanistan to flow twenty-two cubic meters of water per second into Iran, but cited drought-induced water shortage as the problem.
However, Iran has rejected the Taliban’s assertion that the lack of water rights is solely due to the drought in Afghanistan. the country has emphasized the need for independent verification of the Taliban’s claims regarding water availability.
