Taliban Has Not Met Iran’s Expectations, Says Iranian FM

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, said that the Taliban has not met Tehran's expectations. According to Amir Abdollahian, Taliban’s behaviour is not in line with the interests of the two sides, and stressed that the two countries “face challenges”.

On Saturday, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the border clashes between the Taliban and Iranian forces and said that such clashes have taken place several times in the past two years, but the Taliban blamed the clashes on people who act arbitrarily.

Amir Abdollahian said that although the Taliban has tried to manage and control the border skirmishes, still, there was a clash between Iranian forces and the Taliban fighters.

In an interview with Etilaat daily, the Iranian foreign minister once again emphasised on the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and said that in such a government “we consider the Pashtun ethnic group and the Taliban to be one of the important realities of Afghanistan”.

Amir Abdollahian also said that issues which take place in Afghanistan have direct impacts on Iran.

He also emphasised that the Taliban must give the water rights of Iran from the Helmand River. However, he has stressed that compared to former president Ashraf Ghani's era, Iran is in a better position on the water rights issues.

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic said, "We will not forget what Ashraf Ghani said when he wanted to inaugurate the Kajaki Dam, but the Taliban has repeatedly stated clearly that it adheres to its water rights treaty."

In 2021, before the Taliban’s return to power, former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had said “we are committed to water rights with Iran, but we will exchange water for oil”.

The Iranian foreign minister also emphasised that pursuing Iran’s water rights is an inherent duty of the ministry of foreign affairs of the country and “we will continue to follow up on the issue with all our might”.