Referring to the historical record and the agreements and treaties of the two countries regarding Hirmand water rights, the President emphasised, "I want to tell the rulers of Afghanistan not to consider my words as normal, but to take them very seriously; I warn the officials and rulers of Afghanistan to give the rights of the people and the region of Sistan and Baluchistan immediately".
During his visit to Sistan and Baluchistan province and at the ceremony of laying pipes for the transfer of water from the sea to the provinces of the eastern part of the country, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi said, "Our government is trying to bring water from the Oman Sea to different parts of the eastern part of the country, and the implementation of this plan will take time. However, the water rights that the people of Sistan have from the Hirmand River cannot be subject to the passage of time".
The President added, "It will take a long time until the water reaches this region. Of course, our friends who are motivated are trying to do it in a shorter time, but this right to water is the right of the people and the region of Sistan and Baluchistan, and it is not a matter of the present time, but it has been written in the treaties and contracts, and throughout history, this water has always come to the region and people used it, and it was not related to a specific period".
The President emphasised, "I want to tell the rulers of Afghanistan not to consider my words as normal, but to take them very seriously; I warn the officials and rulers of Afghanistan to give the rights of the people and the region of Sistan and Baluchistan immediately".
Referring to some published claims that the dam built on Hirmand does not have much water or that part of it is sediments, the President stated, "Our experts should be given permission to investigate this issue as soon as possible, if our experts confirm this, very well, there is no problem, we have no dispute about the lack of water, but if there is water, this right should be given to the people of Sistan and Baluchistan and we will not allow the rights of the people to be lost in any way".
Ayatollah Raisi emphasised, "They should know that the government is determined to protect the rights of the people in all matters. This is the right of the people of the province and we follow it. We will take the rights of the people of our country at all border points of the country and not only here. Water is the main issue of today's world and we will not allow this right of Iranian people to be lost by any country".
Emphasising again that his words and warning should be taken seriously, the President said, "Take these words very seriously and don't complain later that we were not told or we thought it would be possible with political speech and the passage of time. No, the passage of time will not solve this issue. Of course, our representative in Afghanistan and the governor-general of Sistan and Baluchistan are also pursuing this matter through dialogue and diplomacy, but I urge the rulers of Afghanistan to take this very seriously and act quickly so that the people of Sistan and Baluchistan get their rights".