Taliban An Unusual Regime For Neighbouring Countries, Says Former Iranian Ambassador

Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee and a former ambassador to Afghanistan, called the Taliban's rule a threat to all countries in the region.

Referring to the Taliban's non-compliance with Afghanistan's commitments, Maleki said that the Taliban has neither a parliament nor a government.

Maliki told ILNA news agency on Sunday that neighbouring countries do not have a positive perception of the Taliban government. According to him, "If we look at what is currently happening in the so-called Taliban rule with a regional attitude, it does not give good feedback for neighbouring countries."

The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament said that today's rulers of Afghanistan are treating Iran, Pakistan, and some neighbouring countries and the region in a way that was unprecedented in the previous governments of Afghanistan.

"There was interaction with the previous governments of Afghanistan on every issue, which affected the relations of the countries given the position that Afghanistan had, but we have seen something different during this period when the Taliban took over the sovereignty of this country," he said.

He called the issue of water rights the biggest challenge in Iran's relations with the Taliban and said, "Unfortunately, the Taliban does not adhere to the rules, contracts and historical treaties between the two countries."

In a part of his remarks, Maleki expressed concern over the Taliban's construction of dams.

"I believe that the construction of dams in Afghanistan is questionable, I believe that any action should be taken in the atmosphere of partnership between the two countries, which is not the case today, of course, it is natural that the Taliban does not have a parliament or a government, nothing is in place in this government," he said.

Referring to his talks with the Iranian president and foreign minister, he said that the water issue is on the government's agenda.

Taliban officials recently inaugurated the Pashdan Dam in western Afghanistan. Some Iranian officials have expressed concern about the Taliban's dam construction, saying that the purpose of the dam construction in the western region is specifically to limit the flow of water to Iran.