Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed officials to more aggressively pursue Iran’s water rights from Afghanistan, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, highlighting Tehran’s growing concern over access to critical water resources.
Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said that Iran and Turkmenistan are entitled to water from the Harirud river, but construction of the Salma dam upstream in Afghanistan has reduced flows and complicated efforts to fully supply Iran’s Doosti dam.
Aliabadi said Pezeshkian had ordered political authorities a day earlier to step up efforts on the issue, adding that talks with the Taliban were continuing. He said Iran was ready to cooperate on joint water management of shared rivers.
According to Aliabadi, Iran has repeatedly invited Taliban officials to visit Tehran and may send a delegation to Afghanistan if needed to pursue the issue directly. He expressed hope that improved rainfall this year could help secure Iran’s full share of water.
Disputes over shared water resources have long strained relations between Iran and Afghanistan. The two countries are bound by a 1973 treaty governing water from the Helmand river, which guarantees Iran a fixed annual share, but disagreements over implementation have persisted for decades, particularly during periods of drought and political instability.
While the Helmand treaty does not cover the Harirud, which flows from central Afghanistan into Iran and Turkmenistan, water management on the river has become a recurring source of tension, shaped by climate change, dam construction and rising demand in both countries.
The Harirud is a key water source for eastern Iran, and officials in Tehran have warned that reduced flows could worsen water shortages in already arid regions.
