Iran Hopes Railway Co-op Will Positively Aid Water Rights Issue, Says Iranian Official

Abolfazl Chamandi, the deputy governor of Khorasan Razavi province, expressed hope that bilateral cooperation with the Taliban on projects such as the Khaf-Herat railway line will also impact the water rights issue from Helmand River.

Chamandi added that it took around 12 months for the Islamic Republic government agencies to operationalise the railway line.

This railway line was opened on Tuesday in the presence of officials of the Islamic Republic and the Taliban.

Chamandi added that through the Khaf-Herat railway, Afghanistan is connected to warm waters and this line also connects Iran to China.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Khorasan Razavi province emphasised that Iran should have a collective approach to resolving issues, including the water rights issue with the Taliban.

Over the past two years since taking power in Afghanistan, water rights has been the most challenging issue between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic. Despite numerous rounds of negotiations, the Islamic Republic officials have said that the water rights issue remains unresolved.

Earlier, the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran said that the Taliban should fulfil their responsibility and give 820 million cubic meters of Iran's rights from the Helmand River.