Kabul: An Afghan official told Arab News on Monday that the Taliban government had urged Iran to settle bilateral disputes "through diplomatic channels," as tensions at their border had subsided following skirmishes over the weekend. 

Shooting broke out near an Iranian border post on Saturday, killing at least one Taliban officer and two Iranian border guards. Officials from Iran and Afghanistan claimed responsibility for opening fire. 

The incident occurred as water rights for the Helmand River, which flows from Afghanistan into Iran's arid eastern regions, were being contested as the neighbours battle a drought that is only getting worse due to climate change. 

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We don't want our relationships with our neighbouring nations to sour. We ask all of our neighbours, including Iran, to resolve this conflict diplomatically, according to Hafiz Zia Ahmad, the deputy spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, who spoke to Arab News. 

"The current circumstance is typical. Never does the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan support escalation. 

Officials have not yet revealed what caused the incident, which also resulted in multiple injuries on both sides. 

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It took place following a warning issued by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the Taliban earlier this month not to infringe on Iran's water rights over their shared Helmand River, as outlined in a 1973 bilateral agreement. 

Other issues the two nations have encountered since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 include water rights, as well as previous border disputes and allegations of mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, which has long hosted millions of them. 

Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying that "there is no problem at the present time" and that "everything is calm" at the Afghan-Iranian border in a report that was released on Monday by the government-run IRNA news agency. 

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Nimroz police spokesperson Gul Mohammed Qutrat claimed that issues at the border have been resolved.  He told Arab News that "right now, the situation is under control." "There is absolutely no tension at the border."