Controversy Between Kabul-Tehran over Water/ Zarif Threatens with Mutual action
The Iranian Foreign minister Jawad Zarif warned Afghanistan to mutual action if Iran’s share from the Helmand river not provided.
The Iranian Foreign minister Jawad Zarif warned Afghanistan to mutual action if Iran’s share from the Helmand river not provided.
Mr Zarif expressed the issue during a session in the parliament of the country on Sunday.
Last year, the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani had also said that Tehran cannot be indifferent against the construction of water bands in Afghanistan which received a harsh reaction from the president of Afghanistan.
“there are various options to receive Iran’s share of water – such as adopting strict policies towards Afghanistan in certain areas; therefore, we expect the Afghan government to meet our legal requirements before Iran inevitably take mutual action,” Mr Zarif said.
Regarding the issue of Helmand river, Zarif said Iran’s share from Helmand and Harirud has been the issue of relations between Iran and Afghanistan for many years. The 1973 treaty reached a conclusion after ten years of negotiations. 16 special sessions have been held since Iran has seriously followed the issue. One of the main issues in trips of the presidents of the two countries to Kabul and Tehran was Iran’s share from Helmand river.
According to the treaty signed between Afghanistan’s prime minister Musa Shafiq and his Iranian counterpart Amir Abbas Hoveyda in the 50s (solar year), 26 cubic meters of Helmand water should be flown to Iran through Sistan per second.
Iran has now claimed that its share from the Helmand river falls far short and even less than dry years.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry has not yet reacted against the statement of the Iranian Foreign Minister.
