The core of the dispute lies in the dams constructed in Afghanistan. The recent commissioning of the Pashdan Dam in Herat province has halted the flow of water from the Harirud River, causing the Dostee Dam on the Iran-Turkmenistan border to nearly dry up. This dam provides drinking water to Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.
This is not the first instance. The Kamal Khan Dam on the Helmand River had previously intensified Iran’s problems. According to a 1973 treaty, Iran should receive approximately 820 million cubic meters of water annually from the Helmand River, but Afghanistan has repeatedly withheld water for various reasons. Consequently, the Hamun lakes in the Sistan-Baluchistan region have been severely impacted.