Tehran: Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has underscored the urgent need for Afghanistan to release water from the Salma Dam to help meet the drinking water needs of Mashhad, a prominent city in northeastern Iran.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Gharibabadi communicated this need in a post on his X account late Wednesday. He detailed a meeting with Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the acting head of the Afghan embassy in Tehran, where they discussed the progress on agreements established during a recent visit to Kabul, focusing on Helmand water rights.

He further stressed the critical importance of releasing water from the Salma Dam to ensure a steady supply of drinking water for Mashhad, which is also home to a substantial Afghan population, through the Doosti Dam.