Shahid Beheshti University Researches in Earth Sciences 2008-8299 16 Special Issue 2025 12 01 Hydropolitical analysis of Iran-Afghanistan tensions in the Hirmand River basin with a non-binary material/discourse method Hydropolitical analysis of Iran-Afghanistan tensions in the Hirmand River basin with a non-binary material/discourse method 193 209 106510 10.48308/esrj.2025.240869.1290 FA Sahar Sadat Mousavi Nasab Rabari Department of Political Geography, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0003-4926-4253 Hassan Noorali Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Seyyed Abbas Ahmadi Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 0000-0001-8691-4564 Michael Campana Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA Journal Article 2025 08 02 Water constitutes a vital source of power, and its scarcity represents a highly strategic concern with profound implications for the social and economic development of societies—thereby posing a potential threat to their political stability and authority. Among the international rivers whose allocation has generated hydropolitical tensions, the Hirmand (Helmand) River stands out as a central case, representing the most significant factor in the ongoing disputes between Iran and Afghanistan. The shortage of water in shared river basins tends to politicize water resources, transforming environmental scarcity into arenas of political contention. Within this context, hydropolitics provides a conceptual framework for understanding both cooperation and conflict among riparian states, particularly in the pursuit of optimized transboundary water governance. Accordingly, this research adopts the TWINS (Transboundary Waters Interaction Nexus) framework, which approaches cross-border water relations through a constructivist lens, focusing on how identities of friendship and enmity, as well as dynamics of cooperation and conflict, are continually redefined. The central objective of this study is to analyze the hydropolitical relationship between Iran and Afghanistan concerning the Hirmand River through an integrated material–discursive methodology. This dual approach allows us, first, to examine the natural and geographical factors influencing the hydropolitics of the Hirmand, and second, to investigate the discursive practices, narratives, and political techniques that shape perceptions and actions regarding the river. By combining these perspectives, the study seeks to offer a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of the hydropolitical dynamics underlying Iran–Afghanistan relations over the Hirmand River. <strong> </strong> Water constitutes a vital source of power, and its scarcity represents a highly strategic concern with profound implications for the social and economic development of societies—thereby posing a potential threat to their political stability and authority. Among the international rivers whose allocation has generated hydropolitical tensions, the Hirmand (Helmand) River stands out as a central case, representing the most significant factor in the ongoing disputes between Iran and Afghanistan. The shortage of water in shared river basins tends to politicize water resources, transforming environmental scarcity into arenas of political contention. Within this context, hydropolitics provides a conceptual framework for understanding both cooperation and conflict among riparian states, particularly in the pursuit of optimized transboundary water governance. Accordingly, this research adopts the TWINS (Transboundary Waters Interaction Nexus) framework, which approaches cross-border water relations through a constructivist lens, focusing on how identities of friendship and enmity, as well as dynamics of cooperation and conflict, are continually redefined. The central objective of this study is to analyze the hydropolitical relationship between Iran and Afghanistan concerning the Hirmand River through an integrated material–discursive methodology. This dual approach allows us, first, to examine the natural and geographical factors influencing the hydropolitics of the Hirmand, and second, to investigate the discursive practices, narratives, and political techniques that shape perceptions and actions regarding the river. By combining these perspectives, the study seeks to offer a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of the hydropolitical dynamics underlying Iran–Afghanistan relations over the Hirmand River. <strong> </strong> https://esrj.sbu.ac.ir/article_106510_b1c9cafe109ae47006730f3cca062215.pdf