°®Âþµº

Taliban says it will protect Iran diplomats amid heated protests over 'Afghan refugee beatings'

Taliban says it will protect Iran diplomats amid heated protests over 'Afghan refugee beatings'
Demonstrators recently shouted 'death to Iran' at the country's Kabul embassy and threw stones at its consulate in Herat.
2 min read
19 April, 2022
Acting Taliban FM Amir Khan Muttaqi passed on his dismay at what's happened lately [Ozan Guzelce dia images/Getty-archive]

The vowed on Monday to ensure the safety of diplomatic buildings and staff in Afghanistan after Ìýerupted earlier this month.

Iran's Kabul embassy and Herat consulate were targeted in demonstrations following unconfirmed footage posted online that appears to showÌýattacks on Afghan refugees in Iran.

Demonstrators shouted, "Death to Iran" at the Kabul embassy, while protesters in the western city of Herat threw stones, destroyed cameras andÌýset the Iranian flag alight. The Herat rally wasÌýbroken up by the Taliban.

Eleven Iranian diplomats and a state news agency journalist were murdered in Taliban-controlled Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, leading to a breakdown in relations between the Afghan fundamentalist group and Tehran.

Acting Taliban Foreign MinisterÌýAmir Khan MuttaqiÌýpassed on his dismay about the protests on Monday, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.

Analysis
Live Story

It came during a phone call between Muttaqi and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, where the Taliban official assured that Iran'sÌýdiplomatic buildingsÌýand personnel would be protected from protesters.

In an apparent reference to footage of Afghan refugees being attacked in Iran, Amirabdollahian decried "propaganda" aimed at rupturing ties between Kabul and Tehran.

Iran's foreign ministry has askedÌýthe Taliban - which took over Kabul last summer - to prevent AfghansÌýfrom entering Iran illegally and to adhere to deals reached between the two countries on water and other issues.

Amirabdollahian praised the Taliban for outlawing drug production and said he would like to see collaboration between the two countries on stopping drugs from being trafficked.

The previous Taliban administration played a key role in the production of heroin but has vowed to clampdown on the trade.

Ìý

Ìý