Mustafa Mahami, Iran’s supreme leader’s representative in Sistan and Baluchistan province, strongly criticised those who encourage Tehran’s dialogue with the Taliban.

In a meeting with Iranian officials, he called the Taliban a puppet group of Washington.

Mahami added that Iran must use all pressure tools on the Taliban to achieve its goals.

According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), in a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Energy of Iran, Mahami said that there have been many delays, mismanagement, and indecision while pursuing the water rights of Iran from Helmand River.

He said, "At the beginning of my tenure as [Ali] Khamenei's representative in Sistan and Baluchistan, I had warned about the water rights issue, but the officials at the time had peace of mind that the supply of water from Afghanistan will continue according to the water treaty, which didn’t happen.”

The Iranian government has announced that the water rights issue from the Helmand River is a priority of Iran in 2023.

However, Mahami said, "We have been facing a lack of rainfall for many years, but the authorities are just now following up on the water rights issue.”

Earlier, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Taliban, conveyed a clear message to Iran that whenever the rainfall increases, Iran will receive more share of its water rights from the Helmand River.