Iranian official claims IEA admits they should give Iran its water share from Helmand River

Ali Salajegheh, the head of Iran’s department of environment, told reporters on Wednesday that for the first time, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has acknowledged Iran’s water share should be released from the Helmand River.

He said the IEA acknowledged this during the economic delegation’s recent visit to the country.

“Fortunately, during the economic delegation’s visit by the Taliban (IEA) to Iran, we had a meeting, and for the first time, the Taliban accepted that Iran’s water rights should be respected in the Helmand River,” he said.

“For about 180 days, the people of Zabul have been facing problems due to the presence of dust, so we requested the Talabani delegation (Islamic Emirate) release water for the time being to moisten the lake in order to prevent the creation of dust, which was agreed upon, and it was decided to carry out the necessary investigations regarding the water sources of their dams,” said Salajegheh.

Referring to the stabilization of dust spots in Afghanistan, Salajegheh said: “Fortunately, they [IEA] promised that this issue will be reviewed in a comprehensive meeting with the presence of Afghan environmental officials in Tehran.”

On the other hand, the IEA delegation that visited Iran recently has also said that a delegation from Afghanistan’s environment department will travel to Iran in order to prevent dust on the borders of both countries. The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate Zabiullah Mujahid says that there is still a drought and there is not enough water for them to release water to Iran.

Iran and Afghanistan have fought in recent months over the waters of the shared Helmand River, with deaths on both sides.