Archaeological discoveries shed light on ancient urban settlement in southeast Iran

TEHRAN - A recent archaeological survey in the Girdi region near the former course of the Helmand River has uncovered a range of artifacts, hinting at the presence of an urban settlement dating back to the mid-to-late Islamic period.

Archaeologists tracing Bronze Age settlements in southeast Iran

TEHRAN – An archaeological team has initiated a comprehensive survey in southeast Iran as part of efforts to trace further Bronze Age settlements.

‘Gateway of Slaves’ undergoes restoration after a decade

TEHRAN - After a ten-year hiatus, a restoration project has commenced on Dahana-ye Gholaman, which contains various ruins of an ancient town rich in Achaemenid heritage.

Taliban official says committed to honoring Iran water rights

TEHRAN- Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the political deputy minister of the caretaker government of Afghanistan (Taliban), has emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to ensuring Iran’s water rights according to the 1973 treaty.

Taliban official calls for dialogue to resolve Tehran-Kabul issues

TEHRAN - In a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, reiterated the need for dialogue and understanding to address the bilateral issues between Afghanistan and Iran.

Taliban to allow Iranian experts to assess Kajaki water reservoir

TEHRAN- The Taliban have agreed to let Iranian specialists assess the quantity of water behind the Kajaki dam in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, according to Iran’s envoy in Kabul, despite a dispute between the two neighbors about who gets how much water from the Helmand River.

Afghan border guards received a response: minister

TEHRAN – Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi late on Sunday reacted to the recent border clashes between Iran and Afghanistan, saying that the clashes came to an end after Iran responded to the Afghan side.

Taliban should not use language of threat: MP

TEHRAN – An Iranian lawmaker has called on the Taliban to abandon its use of language of threat vis-à-vis Iran and resort to diplomacy when to comes to Iran’s water rights.

Clashes erupt at Iran-Afghanistan border, one Iranian martyred

TEHRAN - On Saturday, the Iranian border police and Taliban troops engaged in an exchange of fire in a border region in Iran’s east.

We will not recognize Taliban, Iran’s FM says

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Thursday that Iran will not recognize the Taliban and that the Islamic Republic insists on an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Iran says firm to secure water rights from Helmand River

TEHRAN – First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said on Wednesday that Iran is “determined” to resolve the dispute with Afghanistan over water sharing.

Iran water rights inviolable: speaker

TEHRAN – Speaker of Iranian Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday reiterated Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River, urging the Taliban to honor Afghanistan’s commitments under a decades-old agreement in this regard. 

Taliban pledges to cooperate with Iran more closely

TEHRAN- The Taliban, who now control Afghanistan, have stressed in a statement from their Defense Ministry that their government is dedicated to fostering stronger connections with Iran and collaboration in a variety of areas.

Iran calls Taliban’s declaration on Helmand River ‘contradictory and incorrect’

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday dismissing the Taliban’s remarks on water rights from the Helmand River as “contradictory and incorrect”.

Afghan-Iranian Treaty of 1973

TEHRAN- The Helmand River is regulated by a precise legal framework, and in accordance with an agreement made between the two nations in 1973 and confirmed by their respective legislatures, Iran’s water rights are distinctly defined and upheld by the Afghan government.

By Mehran Shamsuddin

Water Warning

TEHRAN – Relations between Iran and Afghanistan soured in recent days after the Taliban refused to respect Iran’s water rights in shared rivers. 

Iran’s water share from Helmand undeniable: MP

TEHRAN – An Iranian lawmaker has urged the Taliban to respect Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River otherwise they will have many things to lose.

FM visits Sistan-Baluchistan over Iran-Afghanistan water issue

TEHRAN- Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited the southeast border province of Sistan-Baluchistan as the dispute over the sharing of water from the Helmand River still remains unresolved.

Top Afghanistan officials affirm Iran’s rights to Helmand water

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said that the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has acknowledged Iran’s entitlement to the Helmand River and highlighted the urgency of redirecting it toward Iran as quickly as possible, in contrast to previous Afghan governments.

‘Hidden hands’ seem to block water from Helmand to Hamoun

TEHRAN – The chief of the Department of Environment has said it seems that hidden hands are in place to prevent the flow of water from the Helmand River in Afghanistan toward the Hamoun Wetland in Iran.

Helmand water flows from Afghanistan into Iran

TEHRAN – Afghanistan has released water from the border Helmand River toward Iran, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the Iranian special envoy for Afghanistan, has said.

Our expectations from Afghan brothers not fulfilled yet, Tehran says

Iran confirms probable new round of nuclear talks

TEHRAN — The Iranian foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that a new round of talks between Iran and P4+1 may be held soon.

Iran to form joint committee with Taliban to prevent border clashes: envoy

TEHRAN – Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the Iranian special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that a meeting was held with the Taliban defense officials in the wake of the recent border clashes during which it was agreed to form a joint committee to prevent the recurrence of border clashes.

Tehran asks Taliban to remove hurdles to Iran's water rights

TEHRAN- The Taliban government in Afghanistan has been urged by Iran's foreign minister to eliminate the artificial hurdles so that the Islamic Republic's water rights from the Helmand River are realized.

Afghanistan does not buy into Helmand water right: DOE chief

TEHRAN – Department of Environment Chief Ali Salagheqeh has said Afghan officials do not accept the truth about Iran’s water right from the border Helmand River.

We won’t take any deal on the table, Amir Abdollahian says

UAE, Kuwait to send ambassadors to Tehran

TEHRAN — In a live talk show aired late Thursday, Iran’s foreign minister discussed a broad range of issues, from Iran’s good neighborliness policy to the ongoing sanctions-removal negotiations.

Tehran asks Kabul to be committed to water treaty

TEHRAN – Iran has asked Afghanistan to be committed to the 1973 Helmand River Water Treaty, according to which Iran should receive 820 million cubic meters of water from the Helmand River.