Taliban pledge to provide Iran’s share of water from Helmand as agreed: Official

Hassan Kezami-Qomi said on Sunday that on the sidelines of a recent meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors in China, Taliban representatives had agreed to put the issue of Iran’s water right on the agenda of the ruling establishment in Afghanistan based on an existent agreement upon their return to Kabul.

“They (the Taliban representatives) stressed that, the issue of water should proceed according to the agreement [already in place], and when they return to Kabul, they will see to it that things will go ahead according to the agreement,” Kazemi-Qomi said.

The 1,300-km-long Helmand River flows into Iran from Afghanistan, which in 2021 launched operations at a dam constructed on the river.

The Taliban rulers in Afghanistan, who overtook the country militarily in 2021, are yet to receive international recognition.

China hosted a meeting of foreign ministers from Afghanistan’s neighbors in the central Tunxi District in Anhui Province on March 30. The foreign ministers of Qatar and Indonesia also participated as guests.

Kazemi-Qomi said the issues of border security, Afghanistan’s stability, and not allowing threats to emerge against neighbors on Afghan soil had been discussed at the ministerial meeting in Tunxi.