Afghan-Iran Border Clashes

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Afghan-Iran Border Clashes

News: Recently, deadly clashes broke out between Afghan and Iranian guards at their border raising fears of a new conflict.

Background:
 Following the border violence, Iranian authorities closed the Milak-Zaranj border post, an important commercial crossing.
 Despite a treaty in place since 1973 on the sharing of Helmand River waters, the two sides have wrangled for decades. The river flows from Afghanistan towards eastern Iran.

About Helmand River:
 The Helmand River, which is more than 1,000km (621-mile) long and flows across the border, is being dammed on the Afghan side to generate electricity and irrigate agricultural land.
 The river originates near Kabul in the western Hindu Kush mountain range and flows in a southwesterly direction through desert areas before emptying into Lake Hamun, which straddles the Afghanistan-Iran border.