Why tensions between Iran and Afghanistan have suddenly flared up. KABUL: After a prolonged exchange of gunfire near a border post that resulted in the deaths of at least three people and injured a number of others, tensions between Iran and Afghanistan grew over the weekend. A simmering dispute regarding the rights of the two neighbors to their shared water resources appeared to be the source of the conflict.




According to reports on Sunday, talks between Iranian and Afghan border security forces to reduce tensions appeared to have eased the fighting. According to analysts, countries in the region, particularly Afghanistan, cannot afford a conflict that could begin with a gun battle like the one that took place at the Iranian border post of Sasuli and ends with regional powers choosing sides.


Within a few weeks, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the Taliban not to violate Iran's water rights over their shared Helmand River, as outlined in a 1973 bilateral treaty.


Due to Kabul's decision to dam the Helmand, which flows from Afghanistan into Iran's arid eastern regions and is more than 1,000 kilometers long, to generate electricity and irrigate agricultural land, Tehran has been concerned about its waters.



In recent years, Iran has experienced an increase in water shortage issues. The circumstance provoked fights by ranchers in 2021, when an expected 97 percent of the nation was confronting some degree of the dry season, as per the Iran Meteorological Association.


On May 18, Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed the issue of sharing water in Helmand.


On Twitter, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry stated, "The minister of foreign affairs also noted that issues between the two sides can be better resolved through mutual dialog and understanding."



Earlier in the week, Muttaqi stated that the Taliban "remains committed" to the 1973 agreement and that "the prolonged drought in Afghanistan and the region should not be ignored."


The International Rescue Committee's emergency watchlist for 2023 placed Afghanistan third, highlighting how climate change contributes to and exacerbates the country's crisis as it enters its third year of drought.


Tending to the occupants of Sistan and Baluchestan, Muttaqi said Afghanistan "sympathizes with your aggravation similarly."


He stated in a statement on May 22: I approach the public authority of Iran not to politicize this essential issue of water. It is ideal as far as we're concerned to determine such issues through understanding and direct discussions as opposed to offering comments in the media.


“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has taken steps to resolve controllable issues over the past two years; however, it is necessary to comprehend the force majeure that exceeds human capabilities due to climate change and find a suitable solution.


In no time, be that as it may, strains between the two nations over water sharing had arrived at the limit. On Saturday morning, officials from the Taliban said that Iran opened fire first along the border between Afghanistan's Nimroz province and Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan provinces.


He added, "The firefight resulted in the deaths of two people, one from each country." The circumstance is taken care of now. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan doesn't support the conflicts."



The country's deputy police chief, Gen. Qasem Rezaei, was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as condemning the "unprovoked attack." Iran, on the other hand, accused the Taliban of shooting first. Iran also caused "significant damage and casualties," according to IRNA.


According to IRNA, the conflict resulted in the deaths of two Iranian border guards and the injuries of two civilians.


"The Islamic Emirate believes discourse to be a sensible way for any issue," Enayatullah Khawarazmi, the Afghan protection service representative, said in a proclamation.


Negative measures and the search for justifications for war are not in either side's best interests.


Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, there have been a growing number of disagreements between the two regimes regarding water rights. These disagreements include previous clashes at their borders and reports of mistreatment of Afghan refugees.


However Iran doesn't formally acknowledge the Taliban organization, it has kept up with relations with Afghanistan's new rulers.


Since 2021, the number of Afghans crossing to the West has increased, and Iran has housed millions of Afghans fleeing armed conflict for decades.


According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the year 2022, approximately 600,000 Afghans with passports live in Iran, 780,000 are listed as refugees, and 2.1 million Afghans do not have a passport.


Several times, tensions involving refugees threatened to escalate into violence, such as in January of this year, when widespread social media reports of mistreatment prompted Taliban officials to discuss the difficulties Afghan refugees face in Iran with Tehran.


Iranian security powers have "unlawfully killed" something like 11 Afghans, as indicated by a report by the freedoms screen Pardon Global distributed last August, which likewise recorded the constrained returns and torment of Afghans.


"The Taliban will keep away from a stalemate with Iran," he said in an explanation imparted to Bedouin News.


Farhadi said that any conflict between Iran and Afghanistan would have an impact on the region. He also said that China's geopolitical role and its relationship with the Taliban government might also play a role.


Beijing, like Tehran, has not officially acknowledged the Taliban government. Notwithstanding, it has invited Taliban agents and taken part in different discussions, while additionally keeping its government office open in Kabul.