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'Served Nobody's Interest': Taliban on Raisi's Warning Over Helmand Water

© AFP 2023 BEHROUZ MEHRIAn aerial view from a medevac helicopter shows the Helmand river
An aerial view from a medevac helicopter shows the Helmand river - Sputnik India, 1920, 19.05.2023
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Afghanistan and Iran have been locked in a long and bitter stand-off over sharing of water from the Helmand River that originates near Kabul but terminates in Iran.
The Taliban* on Friday urged Iran to avoid statements that are critical of their government over the issue of the Helmand River's water with Tehran, adding that such remarks served nobody's interests and hence should not be repeated.
"Frequent demand for water by Iranian authorities and issuance of improper statement in this regard was not in the interest of any side," the Taliban said in a statement.
The Taliban's comments came a day after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the hardline Islamic group, asking them to respect his country's water rights during a visit to the parched Sistan-Baluchestan region.
Ebrahim Raisi gives a news conference after voting in the presidential election, at a polling station in the capital Tehran, on June 18, 2021. - Raisi on June 19 declared the winner of a presidential election, a widely anticipated result after many political heavyweights were barred from running. - Sputnik India, 1920, 18.05.2023
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Iranian President Issues Warning to Taliban Amid Helmand River Water Dispute

Afghanistan-Iran Dispute Over Helmand River

After over a century of disagreements, Iran and Afghanistan inked a deal in 1973, establishing a legal entity to regulate Helmand's water.
Under the terms of the agreement, Iran is supposed to receive 820 million cubic metres from the river. But Tehran claims Kabul has repeatedly violated this accord.
It is pertinent to note that Helmand's water is crucial for Iran's arid Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, a region infamous for its severe water crisis.
The latest face-off between Tehran and Kabul, however, comes at a time when Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan provinces have been experiencing a drought-like situation in the region after a continuing harsh summer caused acute water scarcity.
But this isn't the first time Iran has criticized the Taliban over the matter: previously, the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, alleged the Taliban authorities were not releasing Iran's share from Helmand.
"The amount of water which comes from Afghanistan to our soil is not more than 27 million cubic metres… there is a big difference between the numbers stated in the water treaty and what happens," Qomi said.
* under UN sanctions for terrorism
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