Iran Warns Taliban on its Water Rights from Helmand River

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
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Iran Warns Taliban on its Water Rights from Helmand River

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned his counterpart in the Taliban that their relations would be affected if the group does not eliminate the hurdles to Tehran’s water rights from the Helmand River.

Amir Abdollahian made the comments during a phone conversation on Thursday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Afghan foreign minister.

He said a high-ranking delegation from Iran's Ministry of Energy will visit Afghanistan to work on removing obstacles that prevent Iran from drawing water directly from the Helmand River.

Amir Abdollahian said that Kabul's decision to permit Tehran to use its water right would be an essential indicator of the Afghan government's adherence to its commitments to international law.

He pointed to the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan’s dependence on the river’s water, saying if the issue was not “expeditiously and seriously” resolved, it would have an adverse effect on the other areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The development of many hydroelectric projects on the river, most notably the Kamal Khan dam in Nimrouz province and the Kajaki dam located 160 kilometers northwest of Kandahar province, has exacerbated the situation.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urged serious action on Iran's water rights.



Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Pope Francis spent a peaceful fifth night in hospital and ate breakfast on Wednesday, the Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff's fragile health.

Francis has the onset of double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, complicating treatment for the 88-year-old pope who was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a "complex clinical situation".

The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.

All the pope's public engagements have been cancelled through Sunday and he has no further official events on the Vatican's published calendar.