Image of Kioumars Heydari visiting the exercise of Authority 97, January 25, 2019 (Tasnim)

The commander of the Islamic Republic's ground forces, Kioumars Heydari, said on Sunday that Iran's Ground Forces are in complete control of Iran's borders with Afghanistan.

Over the weekend, the Taliban waged two successive aggressions on Iranian police posts, sparking clashes at the borders with Iranian border guards.

"The border with Afghanistan is completely under the control of the ground forces … the security of the borders is fully secured … As long as the other country that shares the border with us observes the rules, it will see a mutual respect, but if someone feels they don't want to observe them, they will be treated differently," Heydari was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency Tasnim during his visit to the Sistan and Baluchestan province bordering Afghanistan.

Trip of Iran's 2nd senior military commander to Sistan(Iranian Province).
Sardar Qasem Rezaei, deputy commander of the country's police force, & Amir Kyomarth Heydari, the commander of the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, entered the Sistan region.@Tasnimnews_Fa pic.twitter.com/TJ4EXJc6Ii
— 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲♖♞ (𝓐𝓵𝓲 التاريخ) (@World_C_History) May 28, 2023

Gunfire and shells were heard on Saturday at the Afghan-Iranian borders where a water dispute has been ongoing for several months between the two parties.

With Saturday's clashes resulting in one death for each of the sides, Tasnim reported earlier today that one Iranian border guard succumbed to his injuries as a result of the clashes with Taliban forces which took place near the village of Sasouli in Sistan and Balouchestan. Another two were reportedly injured.

The report says that the Taliban also suffered casualties in Sasouli, but the exact number has yet to be determined.

#Taliban thinks Fighting Iran is like bombing Schools , Mosques , Hospitals, Civilians in Afghanistan. Just under hours 21 Talibans were sent to hell fire 🔥 by Iran Border police only . Iran military 🇮🇷 Ground Forces & IRGC didn’t join Iran Border police against Taliban yet . pic.twitter.com/ipaNVOTFm6
— MilitaryNews (@MilitaryNewsomg) May 28, 2023

In 1973, the two countries signed a treaty to regulate each party's use of the river.

As per the treaty, Iran is to receive an annual share of 820 million cubic meters from Hirmand. Afghanistan's violation of this clause has exposed the lives of several Iranians to the risk of drought as civilians rely heavily on the river for drinking water, agriculture, and fishing.

However, the construction of multiple hydroelectric projects on the river, including the important Kamal Khan Dam in Afghanistan's Nimrouz province, and the Kajaki Dam 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Kandahar province, has caused a major rift between them.

A week ago, Iran urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government to allow expert visits to the dam built on the border Hirmand (Helmand) River over claims by the Taliban that it does not have enough water to supply and share with Iran.

This came after Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's visit to Sistan and Baluchistan Province on May 18 where he said that the Taliban hasn't allowed Iranian experts to investigate the matter.

On that same day, President Ebrahim Raisi said warned the Taliban "to immediately give the people of Sistan-Baluchistan their water rights."

The Helmand River flows from the mountains of the central Afghan province of the same name for more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) into Lake Hamoun, which straddles the Afghanistan-Iran border.

Afghanistan authorities said that climatic factors were to account for reduced river volumes.