Iran Repeats Criticism of Taliban Over Water Rights Dispute
Iran has once again criticized the Taliban administration for failing to uphold its commitments regarding water rights from the shared Helmand and Harirud rivers. Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a press briefing in Tehran on Monday that Iran is dissatisfied with the Taliban’s handling of the issue and has made repeated efforts to urge Afghan authorities to honor their obligations.
He noted that under the terms of the Helmand River Treaty, a specific share of water is allocated to Iran. However, only 16 percent of that share was delivered last year. Regarding the Harirud River, though there is no formal agreement, international norms require the upstream country—Afghanistan in this case—to consider Iran’s share of the water.
Baghaei also emphasized that the Taliban administration’s recent decision to reopen the Salma Dam to provide water for autumn crops should result in water flow toward the Doosti Dam. This dam is a crucial resource for supplying water to eastern parts of Iran. The health of rivers and canals in the arid Khorasan region and the city of Mashhad heavily depends on these water sources.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that during the recent visit of Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, to Afghanistan, the issue of water rights was a key topic of discussion with the Taliban administration. Both sides agreed to establish joint technical committees to address existing problems and follow up on previous agreements.
Iran’s diplomatic apparatus hopes that through these technical talks and renewed commitments, the country can secure its rightful share of water from the border rivers shared with Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Taliban’s past performance on this issue has raised serious doubts about their reliability and sincerity.
