TEHRAN- The Taliban have agreed to let Iranian specialists assess the quantity of water behind the Kajaki dam in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, according to Iran’s envoy in Kabul, despite a dispute between the two neighbors about who gets how much water from the Helmand River.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the Iranian special envoy for Afghanistan, stated during a televised interview that Iran is making significant efforts to defend its rights to a portion of water from the Helmand River.

The Taliban have now agreed to allow Iranian experts to personally inspect the situation and observe the amount of water behind the Kajaki dam, the envoy noted, describing it as a “good step” despite Kabul officials’ claims that the issue is caused by lack of water and Tehran’s insistence on verification of the matter.

Iran and Afghanistan have been locked in a protracted dispute over the water of the Helmand River, which originates in the Hindu Kush Mountains near Kabul and flows 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) south before flowing into the Hamoun wetlands in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

In 1973, the two nations agreed to share water rights on the Helmand River, and Afghanistan committed to provide Iran with an average of 820 million cubic meters of water annually.

Iran has chastised Afghanistan for breaking the agreement’s terms and spirit on several occasions.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the Taliban leaders in May that they would be held accountable if they failed to deliver the province of Sistan-Baluchestan in southeast Iran with its fair share of water from the river.

The president stated that Afghanistan should permit Iranian specialists to observe the situation in response to rumors that the Kajakai dam in southern Afghanistan does not hold much water or muck that has accumulated in the dam.

“There would be no discussion if Iranian specialists certify that the dam in Afghanistan is dry, but if there is water, Iran will not tolerate any violation of its citizens’ rights,” he said.