Iranian FM says enemy forces cannot sour Iran-Afghanistan ties

Tehran, June 2 The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the historical ties and commonalities between Iran and Afghanistan could trump any attempt by enemy forces to sour their ties, state media reported

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Thursday in an interview with Iran's IRIB news agency, while commenting on the recent clashes between Iranian border guards and the Taliban fighters, which inflicted casualties on both sides.

He noted that Afghanistan's Taliban caretaker government has explicitly said there has been no "targeted plan" behind the recent clashes on the common border, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Iranian top diplomat called for enhancing economic and trade cooperation and establishing markets along the nearly 900-km border to ensure the security of the two countries.

Regarding Iran's "unpaid" water share from the Hirmand river, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran will pursue its water rights through legal and political measures, adding that Hassan Kazemi Qomi, a special envoy for Afghanistan, has been tasked with following up on the issue and other problems likewise.

Two Iranian border guards and one Taliban fighter were killed and several others were injured during the armed clashes near a border police station between Iran and Afghanistan on Saturday (May 27).

Tensions began to grow between the two neighbours in the past weeks due to a dispute over Iran's water share from the Hirmand river.

Under a 1973 treaty, Iran is entitled to receive 820 million cubic metre of water from the Helmand river annually. Iran has accused the Taliban of blocking the river water from reaching Iran's drought-hit Sistan and Baluchestan province.