The long winding river : unravelling the water dispute between Afghanistan and Iran

Afghanistan and Iran have been at loggerheads in recent months over the Helmand River and its water. With the region grappling with a punishing drought for the third year running, the two neighbouring countries have been locked in a tense melee over shared transboundary rivers. While Iran seeks to assert its rights over water from the Helmand River based on the 1973 Afghan-Iranian Helmand River Water Treaty, Afghanistan maintains that there is simply not enough water to provide Iran with a greater amount. AAN guest author, Mohammad Assem Mayar, looks into what has driven the recent dispute over water between these two countries and provides insights into the future prospects of water relations between the two nations.