Raisi's Special Envoy: Taliban Agrees to Iran's Measurement of Helmand River Water Level

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special envoy to Afghanistan and ambassador of the Islamic Republic in Kabul, stated that the Taliban has agreed to an Iranian technical delegation visiting the area to measure the water level of the Helmand River. In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Saturday, June 17, he mentioned that negotiations with the Taliban regarding the Helmand water rights are progressing well. He said, "Agreements have been made for our specialists to see the area and pave the way for the water to be released, God willing." According to the ambassador, based on Article 5 of the 1972 treaty on the distribution of Helmand water between Afghanistan and Iran, the Iranian delegation can closely monitor the water level of the Helmand River. The special envoy added that this delegation will visit the region within a month. He also noted that the water level measuring device at the Kajaki Dam, which had previously been damaged, has reportedly been reactivated according to Taliban officials. Kazemi Qomi made these remarks following a statement by Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, who said on June 12 in Tehran that there has been progress in discussions between an Iranian delegation and Taliban officials in Afghanistan, and an agreement has been reached for the Taliban to take new steps in this regard. The Taliban Foreign Ministry did not comment on the Iranian official's statements, but officials from the Taliban's Ministry of Energy and Water stated that discussions have taken place in periodic meetings with Iranian officials. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Afghanistan last month and called for Iran to receive its water rights from the Helmand. Raisi stated, "I tell the rulers of Afghanistan not to take this matter lightly and to take it seriously; I warn them to expedite the rights of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan." In response, Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting head of the Taliban Foreign Ministry, stated that Afghanistan is committed to the 1972 agreement between the two countries and that Iranian officials should not make noise. This Taliban official said, "We ask the Iranian government not to politicize the vital issue of water and that it is better to resolve such matters through understanding and face-to-face discussions rather than media noise." The treaty regarding the Helmand River water between the then Iranian government and the Afghan government includes 12 articles and two annex protocols, signed on March 13, 1973, in Kabul. According to this agreement, Afghanistan must annually send 820 million cubic meters of Helmand water to Iran.