Iran (IMNA) - Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said in an interview that the Islamic Republic's newest effort to ensure that the country receives its fair share of water from Hirmand is a scheduled visit to the Deh Rawood water measuring station.
"At the moment, our delegation is in Kabul. We'll go to the water measuring station, and when we do, we'll get the report," he continued.
Water entering the river is measured at Deh Rawood station, which is situated on the Hirmand upstream of the Kajaki Dam.
The Hirmand water supply, which originates in the Hindu Kush Mountains west of Kabul and flows in an arc southwest until it empties out into the Hamoun wetlands in Iran's parched Sistan and Baluchestan Province, is the subject of a heated dispute between Iran and Afghanistan.
Both countries signed a treaty in 1973 to establish a way of regulating their use of the river after more than a century of disputes.
Afghanistan has flagrantly broken both the words and the spirit of the agreement, risking the lives of many Iranians who depend on the Hamoun marshes for drinking water, agriculture, and fishing. Iran is required to receive an annual share of 820 million cubic meters from the Hirmand under the terms of the agreement.
Although the Taliban government contends there is not enough water to flow into Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes Afghanistan is impeding the flow of water.
By revealing satellite photographs of the water behind the Hirmand dams, Iran has refuted the Afghan allegation.
Kazemi-Qomi continued, "According to the [1973 Helmand River] Treaty, we can verify the other side's claim of a water shortage."
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi cautioned Afghan leaders that Tehran will under no circumstances tolerate a violation of the people's rights in Sistan and Baluchestan during a visit there in May.
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