Verbal tensions between Iranian officials and the Taliban have triggered widespread reactions in both countries. Iranian government officials and citizens have taken to social media, calling for the expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran. However, the Taliban denies responsibility for supplying water to Iran, citing insufficient water in the Kamal Khan Dam to flow towards Iran. Iranian officials have demanded a technical delegation from Afghanistan to inspect the Kajaki dam. Under the 1972 treaty, both parties are obliged to share water measurement data and discuss technical matters in meetings of the Water Commissioners. Critics argue that the Iranian government is deflecting attention from the grievances and protests of its own citizens. Exploiting these mounting tensions, the Taliban aims to propagate their cause and mobilize public support.
On Thursday, May 18, Iranian President Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi, while visiting Sistan and Baluchestan province, accused the Taliban of reneging on their commitment regarding the Helmand River water issue. In response, the Taliban has requested that Iranian officials express their claims using “appropriate language.” Both sides’ statements have garnered significant media coverage in Iran and Afghanistan in recent days. Afghan media and political elites have also launched Twitter campaigns regarding Iran’s water rights, eliciting strong reactions to the threat made by the Iranian President.
Reactions of Afghan Citizens and former government officials
Rahmatullah Nabil, the former Head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, characterized the verbal tensions of Iranian officials as being aimed at their domestic audience. Nabil expressed on Twitter, “The threats from Iranian leaders regarding the water issue in Sistan-Baluchestan are primarily intended for domestic consumption in Iran. There is a connection between what is happening in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province, and Iranian leaders are aware that they have treated the people of Sistan-Baluchestan province unfairly for decades.” He further stated, “Iran will not engage in direct confrontation with the Taliban at this stage. The Taliban is also seeking to exploit this issue internally; otherwise, only the emergence of Haji Bashar and Haji Jumakhan in Sistan-Baluchestan province can challenge the Iranian regime.”
Soraya Azizi, an Afghan diplomat in Switzerland, retorted to the statements made by an Iranian representative, stating, “Mr. Representative! Expelling migrants will never exert pressure on the Taliban. The Taliban does not value people. They are not the representatives of the people of Afghanistan. You are opposing a group, not a country.”
Dawood Naji, an advisor to the former government’s National Security Council in Afghanistan, shared a picture showing the amount of aid provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Iran. In his post, he wrote, “While Afghan migrants in Iran work as cheap labor and do not receive any free support services, the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently received money from the United Nations for hosting migrants. Currently, Iran receives a monthly amount of $114 million. This funding has been provided to the Islamic Republic over the years, and the migrants are not relying on it for free.”
Qubad Zare, a social media user, stated, “As the discussion on Iran’s water rights intensifies, the United States of America is increasing its support for the Taliban, putting Iran in a position where it will have to exert pressure on the Taliban using its influence in Afghanistan. This will lead to a new phase in the military situation in Afghanistan. Iran finds the continued support and aid from the US to the Taliban burdensome and unacceptable. The Taliban sees a resemblance to a complex Islamic symbol in the bonds of American dollars, which will compel Iran, Russia, and China to respond. Following Ukraine, Afghanistan will once again serve as a testing ground for these powerful nations.”
Iranian Media Reactions
The Tasnim News Agency has released a video titled “Who is the main culprit in the Helmand issue?” in which they blame the former King of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Iranian media outlet presents a map of the Helmand River as a background and states, “The Saadabad Agreement, signed on January 26, 1939, established a water-sharing contract between Tehran and Kabul for the Helmand River in sixteen articles.”
In its Sunday edition on May 21, the Tehran-based newspaper Jomhouri-e Eslami urged the Iranian government to assume control of the Afghan embassy in Tehran from the Taliban. The newspaper asserts that the Taliban aims to drag Iran into the conflict. Jomhouri-e Eslami states, “The Taliban terrorist group has taken on the mission, on behalf of the United States, to create insecurity in the region, particularly by involving the Islamic Republic of Iran in a military confrontation.” The Iranian media outlet further adds, “Essentially, the Doha Agreement, implemented in August 2021 with the removal of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani by the United States and the subsequent takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, was designed to transform Afghanistan into a haven for terrorism under Taliban rule and ultimately ensnare the Islamic Republic of Iran in a military confrontation along its eastern borders, entangling it in the quagmire of war and instability.”
The Reactions of Iranian Clerics and Government Officials
Iranian politicians and high-ranking government officials have also voiced their reactions to the recent tensions between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Sunday, May 21, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized that there is no “tolerance” for the water issue of the Helmand River. He called on the Taliban to ensure the water supply from the Helmand River and prevent a “serious problem” in the relations between the two countries. Qalibaf further highlighted that the complete and accurate implementation of this agreement safeguards the “climatic, geographical, and demographic situation of large parts of western Afghanistan and eastern Iran.”
Molavi Abdul Hamid, a Sunni religious leader in Zahedan, Iran, called for the formation of a council of experts and jurists from both sides in his Friday sermon on May 19. In a video statement, he emphasized the need to resolve the water issue through dialogue, considering the distress and deadlock faced by the people of Sistan. He suggested that Iran appoint a delegation of legal experts and specialists, with the participation of the Taliban. This delegation would assess the water situation, including the arrival of water, adherence to water rights, and the availability of water. Molavi Abdul Hamid emphasized the importance of practical engagement and problem-solving over tensions and verbal confrontation.
Mohammad Sargazi, the representative of Zabul province in the Iranian Parliament, called for exerting pressure on the Taliban regarding the Helmand River. He stated that Iran should expel Afghan migrants, citing a population of over seven million Afghan migrants residing in Iran.
Following a previous statement, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the Taliban of breaching their commitments. The ministry strongly rejected the Taliban’s statement on the water supply, considering it “contradictory and incorrect.” It called for Iranian experts to examine the Kajaki dam, which Afghan experts claim contradicts the Helmand-River Water Treaty.
In an interview with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, Najib Agha Fahim, a former member of the water negotiating team with Iran, explained the terms of the treaty. According to Fahim, the treaty states that the Afghan side should provide data from the Dehraoud flow gauge to Iran. In return, Iran should share data on rainfall and their water reservoirs with Afghanistan, including information on the amount of water in wells and flowing in lakes.
Mahmood Ahmadi Beghash, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized that Afghanistan should allow its citizens access to Helmand water based on their annual consumption. In a letter addressed to the President of Iran, the Iranian representative stated, “Mr. President! … It is sufficient for your Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform the rulers of Afghanistan [the Taliban] that the 10 million Afghan immigrants in Iran consume water many times more than the allocated share of the Helmand River.”
The tensions and developments prompted an Iranian delegation, headed by Brigadier General Bahram Hussaini Mutlaq, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, to visit Kabul and engage in discussions with Taliban defense officials to enhance border cooperation.
Does Iran have permission to inspect the Kajaki dam?
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued multiple statements urging the implementation of the Helmand-River Treaty. Citing Article 5 of the treaty between Afghanistan and Iran, the ministry has requested the technical team of the Iranian government to inspect the Kajaki dam, even though this provision is not explicitly mentioned in Article 5. According to the article, Afghanistan is committed to not taking any actions that would deprive Iran of its designated share of water from the Helmand River, as determined by the provisions in the second, third, and fourth paragraphs of the treaty. Additionally, Afghanistan has the right to utilize and consume all remaining water from the Helmand River, even if there is surplus water available in the lower delta that Iran can also utilize.
The treaty also addresses the resolution of disputes between the parties. According to Article 9, in case of any dispute regarding the interpretation or implementation of the treaty, the parties are required to seek resolution through diplomatic negotiations and other appropriate authorities. If dialogue fails to resolve the dispute, it shall be referred to the authority specified in Annex Protocol No. 2 of the treaty.