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KABUL – In a significant diplomatic move, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, arrived in Kabul earlier today for critical negotiations with Taliban officials. The talks, hosted at a formal venue marked by the presence of the Afghan flag, focus on border cooperation, judicial matters, and the contentious issue of water sharing from the Helmand River. The announcement underscores Iran’s ongoing “neighborhood policy” aimed at strengthening ties with Afghanistan.
The meeting, captured in an official photograph showing Gharibabadi alongside a senior Taliban representative, signals a rare moment of engagement between the two nations, despite a complex history marked by border disputes and migration challenges. Sources indicate that the discussions may also address the repatriation of Afghan prisoners, following Iran’s earlier commitment to transfer 1,500 detainees back to Afghanistan, as noted in January 2025 talks in Tehran.
However, the diplomatic overture has already sparked mixed reactions. Afghan social media users on X have expressed skepticism, with some questioning the feasibility of water-sharing negotiations amid severe droughts and reduced Helmand River flows due to Afghanistan’s upstream dam projects.
The Helmand River dispute, rooted in the unfulfilled 1973 treaty allocating 820 million cubic meters annually to Iran, remains a flashpoint. Afghanistan’s recent infrastructure developments, including the Kamal Khan Dam, have exacerbated tensions by limiting downstream flows critical to Iran’s drought-stricken Sistan-Baluchestan Province. Analysts suggest that today’s talks could set the stage for either a breakthrough or further regional instability if unresolved.
This development comes as Iran continues to host over 3.5 million Afghan refugees and approximately 20,000 Afghan prisoners, adding urgency to judicial and humanitarian aspects of the negotiations. The outcome of these discussions may have far-reaching implications for Iran-Afghanistan relations, regional security, and water resource management in Central Asia. Updates are expected as the talks progress.
