Mustafa Mahami, Iran's leader’s representative in Sistan and Baluchistan, said that Tehran must use all means to address water rights issue. Mahami referred to the Taliban as a "puppet government of the United States" and urged for change in Iran's behaviour toward the group.
Mahami, who represents Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, in his Friday prayer sermon in Zahedan city, called the warning of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi to the Taliban as "satisfying for the people of Sistan and Baluchistan" and asked for follow ups of the water rights issue.
According to the Iran Student News Agency (ISNA), Mahami connected the water rights issue to the US and said, "When the Kamal Khan dam project started, we reported to the capital of the country, but no one took any action." According to him, it was US’ agenda to prevent the flow of water from Kajaki dam to Iran.
Over the past weeks, Iran's water rights claim from Helmand River has escalated tension between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban.Earlier, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi warned the Taliban officials to allocate the share of water for Sistan and Baluchistan from the Helmand River. He said that the Taliban should take his warning seriously and "not complain later that we weren't told”.
The Taliban reacted to Raisi’s statement and said that there is not enough water in the Helmand River.
However, the Islamic Republic does not accept the Taliban’s claim of lack of water in the Helmand River and said that the Taliban should allow Iranian experts to visit the dams and confirm the Taliban’s claims.