Geo-political and geo-economic role of river and boundary market in social security of Harman province and economic-political relationships between Iran and Afghanistan

Hirmand, the boundary province is one of strategic and geo-political points near the Iran-Afghan border that has made this region more important than ever. Hirmand River as the borderline between Iran and Afghanistan, and because of its grave importance in Sistan area, has a crucial role in Iran-Afghan’s political relationships. Also, the boundary market of Milak has an important role in economic relationships between Iran and Afghanistan. So the question that this research deals with is that “Do the geo-political factors of Hirmand affect economic-political relationships between Iran and Afghanistan?” According to the question, the main hypothesis is that (due to lack of other commercial roads between Iran and Afghanistan) Hirmand’s boundary market seems to be effective in the development of economic relationships, and Hirmand river in political relationships between the two countries. On the other hand, Hirmand River’s location as the border and the pacts signed with the interference of other governments between Iran and Afghanistan proves this fact. Also, Hirmand river’s features and its role and effects as the geo-political factor in political relationships and the effects of Hirmand’s boundary market as the geo-economic factor in economic relationships between the two countries have been studied in this research. As a result, the mutual dependence of the two countries caused by Hirmand River’s location as the border, Afghanistan’s needs for Iran’s economic sources, the boundary market and transits through it resulted in establishing and developing the political and economic relationships between Iran and Afghanistan. The purpose of this study was set to analyze the political relationships, pacts and agreements using casual research methods, document-library analysis method and note-taking; and to analyze the economic relationships through interviews, collecting statistics and economic information.