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Afghanistan-Iran and its water rights

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A dam near completion on the Helmand River in Afghanistan has become the center of disagreement between Afghanistan and Iran as both the neighbors’ dispute over water rights.

Afghanistan is considered as a self-sufficient water country but the irregularity and lack of structure has made it one of the lowest levels of water storage capacity in the world. There is estimation of at least 75 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water annually, where much of it is coming from big river basins such as the Amu, Helmand, Harirud-Murghab and Kabul. Mainly, these waters flow to the neighboring countries including Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Afghanistan has failed to bring its water under control in the last 20 years or at least make a good deal with its neighbor over it. There was some “water strategy” on the paper to regularize the inflow of water, but apparently it was in vain. This came when the Afghan farmers moved to the urban centers to secure their livelihoods due to lack of water irrigation and insufficient water that badly affected their agricultural output.

At the same time, Afghanistan becomes an electricity-importer state while some of its water from major rivers, including Helmand River, flows to the neighboring countries. Afghanistan had decided to supervise these waters and tried to build dams to generate electricity.

In that purpose, the Afghan government has started to invest in construction of new dams in the Helmand River, a tributary considered the lifeline of water in Afghanistan, and its basin covers approximately 49pc of the surface area of the country.

But apparently Iran is not happy with the process and after failing to reach any consensus on the area of diplomacy, now it has tried to threaten the Afghan government to reopen the flow of water.

Iran warns Afghanistan over water rights

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has openly called on the Afghan leaders not to violate water rights of the Iranian people and said his government is determined to defend this right.

Raisi warned the Taliban not to violate water rights of the people of Sistan and Baluchistan over their shared Helmand River, and called on the Taliban to take his world “seriously”.

Raisi also said that the Taliban should allow Iranian hydrologists to check the water levels of the river.

President Ebrahim Raisi during the inauguration ceremony of a project to supply water from the Gulf of Oman Iran’s eastern cities on May 18, 2023.

This is not the stop point as his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also came up with the same warning and said Iran will use “pressure as a tool,” to make the Taliban agree to allow its water from the Helmand River to flow inside Iran.

Amirabdollahian raised the water issue during his trip to southeastern border provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, where he is scheduled to follow up on the case of Iran’s water rights, which has not become a center of a dispute with its neighbor Afghanistan.

Based on the 1973 treaty between Iran and Afghanistan, Amirabdollahian said that the people of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan have “a natural right” to benefit from the water that flows into the country from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Space Agency said satellite images showed that the Afghan government prevented water from reaching the Iranian side of the border in some places by creating numerous dams and diverting the flow of water.

The agency said it was ready to submit the images, captured by the Iranian-made Khayyam satellite, to the Foreign Ministry.

Afghan-Iran FMs spoke on phone

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi held a telephonic conversation with Iranian counterpart Amirabdullahian, where the two sides discussed the expansion of cooperation in different sectors including trade, electricity, railway, common border, water and release of Afghan prisoners in Iran.

During the talk, Muttaqi expressed his satisfaction with the recent visit of the Afghanistan trade delegation headed by the country’s minister of commerce and industry to Iran, and stressed that the two sides should intensify work to implement the Khaf-Herat railway project.

However, Muttaqi said that due to a drop in rainfall in the western parts of Afghanistan, the country has seen a significant drop in the amount of water in the Helmand River.

Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also said that due to severe drought, the water levels have dropped but said Kabul is “committed” to fulfill its obligation in the water treaty.

Inappropriate statements harm ties  

At the same time, Mujahid warned Iran over “inappropriate statements”, saying such behavior could harm ties between the two countries and should not be repeated.

Iranian officials have always stressed the importance of the implementation of the 1973 Helmand River treaty between Iran and Afghanistan, but Kabul says that drought and climate change has significantly reduced the level of water. At the same time Iran has been suffering from drought for some 30 years, but has worsened over the past decade, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.  The Iran Meteorological Organization says that an estimated 97pc of the country now faces some level of drought.

Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate is committed to the water treaty of Helmand signed in 1973 between Afghanistan and Iran.

To overcome the drought, Iran has called on the Taliban to open the gates of the Kajaki,” a major hydroelectric power dam in Afghanistan on the river’s path.

However, the dam has been dried up due to severe drought, but the Iranian authorities doubt Taliban’s statement and say they need to go and see from near.

“Until Iran’s technical experts are not allowed to visit the water flow and upstream of Hirmand according to the Hirmand Treaty, especially Article 5 of Protocol No. 1 of that treaty, any comments regarding the reduction in Hirmand water are not acceptable,” Iranian media Mehr reporting citing the country’s foreign ministry’s statement.

Diverting the river’s water flow and non-cooperation on the part of Afghan officials cannot be justified by making political statements, the statement reads.

Still friendly negotiations on table

Iran said that so far negotiations and talks have been held in a friendly atmosphere and by adhering to the principle of good neighborliness, and expects that such talks should continue to resolve any kind of issues as other options are also on the table.

The statement furthered that Iran has the right to use other options and reserves to take necessary actions to defend from its water interest, but called on Afghanistan to fulfill its responsibility based on the agreement.

Responding to the statement, Taliban said that the water agreement between Afghanistan and Iran was signed half a century ago in 1973 and is still valid.

“The Islamic Emirate is committed to implementing its obligations,” Taliban foreign ministry said in a statement, and accused the Iranian side of lacking information on current water level and circumstances in the region.

Taliban said that Iranian officials should first complete their information about Helmand water and then express their demand with appropriate words.

Taliban once again retreated that “inappropriate” statements can harm the political relations between the two neighboring countries which is not in the interest of each side.

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Chinese chipmaker profits surge 2,500% on explosive AI computing demand

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6 days ago

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28/07/2026

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Major Chinese microchip manufacturers saw their profits surge by 2,579.5% in the first half of 2026, driven by unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence and computing capacity.

Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, cited by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), underscored the industry’s sharp upward trajectory.

Yu Weining, senior statistician at China’s National Bureau of Statistics, explained that this surge is directly connected to the accelerating integration of artificial intelligence across various sectors.

Yu noted that this process has increased the need for computing capacity. The demand for computational processes also lifted profits across the entire electronics industry by 97% year-on-year.

Profits of major Chinese industrial enterprises with an annual revenue exceeding 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) rose 18.7% in the first six months of the year, reaching 4 trillion yuan.

In the first half of 2025, before the global data center construction process had begun, industrial profits had dropped by 1.8% to 3.4 trillion yuan, while profit growth in the electronics sector remained at 3.5%.

The SCMP reported that the global AI boom has generated explosive demand for high-performance computing systems and memory chips, causing a structural pivot in China’s industrial landscape.

Data showed that integrated circuit production in the first half of the year grew by 23% year-on-year to reach approximately 280 billion units.

This figure means that the country produced an average of more than 1.5 billion chips per day.

The profit growth is also corroborated by forecasts from China’s leading chipmakers. Shenzhen Longsys Electronics, one of the largest memory module manufacturers, expects its profits to increase by more than 600-fold in the first half of the year.

Flash memory maker GigaDevice projects that its net profit will surge by approximately 1,099% year-on-year due to supply shortages and rising product prices.

Chinese companies in the AI chip segment are also demonstrating strong profit growth, albeit at a more moderate pace compared to the memory market.

Hygon Information Technology, which develops central processing units and computing units for artificial intelligence, projects that its profits will rise by up to 52.3%.

CXMT hits record high on Shanghai Stock Exchange

Shares of Chinese chipmaker CXMT gained more than 500% on their first day of trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on July 27, jumping from 8.66 yuan to 55 yuan.

As a result of this sharp surge in its shares, CXMT’s market valuation reached 3.65 trillion yuan ($539 billion), making the company China’s most valuable publicly traded firm.

At the peak of the rally—even though quoted prices underwent a slight correction toward the close of the trading day—CXMT surpassed Tencent, which was trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of $514 billion.

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Massive student movement over exam leaks forces resignation of India’s education minister

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7 days ago

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27/07/2026

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Indian public examination reform proposals follow education minister’s resignation after nationwide youth protests

India’s federal government introduced legislation in parliament on Monday to amend the law governing public examinations, days after the “Cockroach” movement forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following nationwide youth protests.

The bill incorporates enhanced sanctions, including longer prison sentences and higher fines for those found responsible for exam leaks and irregularities.

The demonstrations are widely viewed as the most significant youth-led challenge faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office in 2014.

What triggered the protests?

Nearly 2 million students took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), an undergraduate medical entrance examination, in May. The federal National Testing Agency cancelled the exam on May 12 following allegations that question papers had been leaked. The examination was re-administered on June 21.

Young people took to the streets to protest against examination fraud, youth unemployment, and a perceived lack of future prospects.

According to a BBC report, the unemployment rate among university and college graduates aged 15 to 25 in the country stands at a critically high level of 40%. The addition of corruption in public examinations to existing economic strain broke the patience of the youth.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Public Party (CJP) movement, led the protests.

The movement derived its name from remarks made in May by Supreme Court Judge Surya Kant, who used the terms “cockroach” and “parasite” in a derogatory reference to unemployed youth and protesters. Young demonstrators adopted the insult as a symbol and named their movement after it.

How the movement unfolded

Young protesters organized street demonstrations demanding the resignation of Education Minister Pradhan. Dipke, who initiated the movement in New Delhi, subsequently organized protests in other parts of the country.

Sonam Wangchuk, one of the protesters, began a hunger strike at the demonstration site in support of the movement. As his physical condition deteriorated, authorities forcibly transferred him to a hospital.

The reaction to Wangchuk’s forcible removal from the protest site caused crowds at the venue to expand rapidly.

Tens of thousands of protesters faced tear gas and baton charges by police while attempting to march on parliament. Some demonstrators engaged in clashes with law enforcement officers.

CJP leaders held talks with ministers from the Modi government, who requested time to evaluate the protesters’ demands internally.

Modi called for unity among lawmakers in the ruling coalition to implement strict measures against exam paper leaks, punish those responsible, and establish a secure, leak-proof system.

Opposition representatives led by Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in at the entrance of Modi’s official residence demanding Pradhan’s resignation. They were briefly detained by police before being released.

Opposition lawmakers supporting the student protesters disrupted proceedings in parliament. Demonstrations expanded to other regions of the country, including the financial hub of Mumbai.

In his first direct statement regarding the protests, published in a post on X, Modi announced that special courts would be established to prosecute individuals involved in exam paper leaks. Protesters rejected the proposal.

Movement leaders held a second round of talks with the government after Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike.

Following those discussions, the government requested time until the afternoon of the following day to respond to the demand for Pradhan’s resignation.

Education Minister Pradhan subsequently announced his resignation, stating that he was stepping down in light of the situation at the protest site and across the country, as well as to prevent “external forces” from exploiting the environment.

On July 26, Modi announced the creation of a task force headed by technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to overhaul the country’s examination system.

On Monday, July 27, the government presented a bill to parliament proposing amendments to the law governing public examinations. The legislation introduces stiffer penalties for offenders, including extended prison terms and increased monetary fines.

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China’s DeepSeek prepares for 2027 mainland IPO, aims for $71 billion valuation in new funding round

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3 weeks ago

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15/07/2026

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DeepSeek, the China-based startup developing artificial intelligence models, has begun preparations for an initial public offering (IPO).

According to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter, the company plans to file its IPO application either this year or early next year.

The sources noted that the filing timeline will depend on the readiness of the company’s financial reports, with DeepSeek projected to go public on a mainland Chinese stock exchange in 2027.

Prior to the IPO, DeepSeek also aims to conduct a new funding round. In this second investment round, the company reportedly plans to raise at least 10 billion yuan (approximately $1.48 billion), a process expected to push its market valuation to at least 480 billion yuan (approximately $71 billion).

The AI startup, which secured $7.4 billion in its first funding round, saw its market valuation exceed $50 billion, rendering DeepSeek the most valuable artificial intelligence company in China.

The company’s founder, Liang Wenfeng, personally invested $3 billion of his own capital into the DeepSeek project. According to data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Liang’s stake in the company fell from 90% to 78% following the latest investment round.

Despite this decline, Liang’s personal wealth more than doubled, rising from $16.7 billion to approximately $36 billion.

This surge has positioned Liang as the wealthiest founder of an AI model-developing company in the world.

According to earlier reports by Reuters, the investment round was structured under an unusual partnership model that allows founder Liang Wenfeng to maintain administrative control over the company.

Under this framework, which requires investors to provide funds to a limited liability partnership managed by the company’s general manager rather than investing directly in DeepSeek, backers are not granted voting rights. Furthermore, the provided funds are locked and cannot be withdrawn for a period of five years.

The China National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund was the sole institution exempted from these strict rules, investing approximately $150 million directly into DeepSeek.

Based in Hangzhou, China, DeepSeek was founded by Liang Wenfeng in 2023.

The company was structured as a unit within Zhejiang High-Flyer Asset Management, a hedge fund specializing in artificial intelligence that Liang launched alongside two former university classmates.

In early 2025, DeepSeek released a new artificial intelligence model offering performance comparable to US rivals such as OpenAI, but at a significantly lower operating cost.

Following these developments, founder Liang Wenfeng stated that the company will continue to develop open-source artificial intelligence models, emphasizing that their ultimate global objective is to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI).

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