KABUL, Afghanistan — Iran has once again called on the Taliban to honor its commitment to provide Tehran with its share of water from shared rivers, Iran’s charge d’affaires Alireza Bigdeli said during a meeting with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister.
The Iranian embassy in Kabul announced on Wednesday that the two sides discussed a range of issues, including “the necessity of securing Iran’s water rights, economic dialogue in foreign policy, and strengthening ties between the two countries.”
The embassy added that Bigdeli emphasized the importance of Afghanistan meeting its obligations regarding water allocation and addressed concerns about Afghan migrants residing in Iran.
Meanwhile, Taliban-controlled state media reported that Mr. Bigdeli highlighted Iran’s commitment to operationalizing the Chabahar port as a priority in bilateral relations.
The meeting comes just days after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reiterated Tehran’s demand for its share of water from Afghanistan’s Helmand River. Mr. Baghaei stated that Iran would use “all available tools and capacities” to resolve the issue, which has been a source of contention since the early 2010s.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently prioritized securing Iran’s water rights from shared rivers, particularly with Afghanistan and the Harirud basin,” Mr. Baghaei said. “This issue remains a fixed item on our agenda, and Iran’s formal objections have been documented over the years.”
Iran has argued that water flowing from Afghanistan to Iran creates reciprocal rights and obligations, underscoring its insistence on fair allocation under international agreements.
In addition to water rights, the treatment of Afghan migrants in Iran remains a critical issue. On January 5, Nader YarAhmadi, head of Iran’s Bureau of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants, revealed that nearly three million undocumented Afghan migrants had been deported from Iran over the past three years.
Speaking to the Iranian newspaper Shargh, Mr. YarAhmadi attributed the mass migration to deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, adding that law enforcement would “firmly continue efforts to expel unauthorized individuals.”
