Violent clashes between Iranian and Afghan border forces broke out on 27 May 2023 and lasted for more than a week. The fighting led to multiple deaths and injuries among both Iranian and Afghan border guards, and there were concerns that the scale of troop deployments that followed the initial outbreak of violence signalled the potential for a wider conflict between the two countries. Ultimately, it took the authorities in Tehran and Kabul several days to halt the violence.
This report identifies the direct causes of this outbreak of widespread fighting, the role that climate change and state and community responses played in this event, and the potential for further conflicts in the future.
Missing the target is one of two reports examining tensions arising from the decreasing supplies of water in the Helmand River Basin and state and local community responses. Digging an ever-deeper hole: the response to climate change in the Helmand River Basin should be read alongside this report.