Iran rejects Taliban claims over Helmand Water Rights

The ministry issued a statement on Friday, saying the declaration by the Afghan side about the Helmand River water rights contains contradictory and incorrect information, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly rejects it.

Referring to the Helmand Treaty signed between Iran and Afghanistan in 1973, the statement says the agreement has clearly and unambiguously specified the Iranian side’s water rights from the Helmand River. This is a legal, objective and definite right, and Afghanistan is committed to providing the aforementioned right and not taking any action, which fully or partly strips Iran of its water rights.

It added, although the Afghan rulers,
in the past year and half, have repeatedly emphasized adherence to their obligations under the Treaty, in practice, they have failed to honor the obligations arising from the Treaty.

“Numerous statements for justifying the non-delivery of the legal rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the issue of drought and water depletion in Helmand, require expert reviews, according to the provisions of the Treaty, and those statements have not been yet verified by the experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran; therefore, adopting such positions is unlawful and unacceptable”, says the statement.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that non-adherence to the Treaty and non-provision of Iran’s Helmand water rights on the part of Afghanistan and issuing political statements without practical action are not acceptable in any way.

The statement reiterates the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the rights to take necessary measures and emphasizes the full responsibility of Afghanistan in this regard.